Five Things Marketing Can't Fix

May 29

It’s one thing to read about a great company and how it positions itself as best in class.

It’s another thing entirely to be on the receiving end of that experience.

A recent trip to the Arizona desert to speak at a national conference has become an oasis of new insights on how one develops a world-class brand from the inside out.

There are a number of solid reasons why The Ritz-Carlton is worthy of that status through more than 100 locations and 35,000+ employees across 30 different countries.

One of the key factors can be attributed to their strategic use of internal language with a service culture anchored by the company’s motto:

“Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen”

Besides developing a memorable motto being acted out daily, the Ritz-Carlton also empowers its front-line to eliminate the usual bureaucracy typically involved with resolving customer issues. If you have a real problem that demands resolution, each employee has the power of using discretionary spending of $2,000 (per incident) to ensure a guest is taken care of with utmost satisfaction. Little wonder that employee turnover is incredibly low.

18% versus the hotel industry standard of 158%

After more than two-dozen interactions with genuinely helpful, look-you-in-the-eye, respectful and pleasant employees at the Dove Mountain Resort outside of Tucson, I am now eager to share ideas that you can adapt from the 'Ritz' experience to focus your brand-building efforts on things that matter most.

Grab your favorite beverage and wander out to the desert for Five Things Marketing Can’t Fix on this edition of Leaders & Legends.

Leadership is creating an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization. Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do.  HORST SHULZE

p.s… When the late Steve Jobs was preparing to launch the first Apple retail stores, he asked people around company HQ in Cupertino, CA: "What's the best customer experience you've ever had yourself, as a customer?" None of the answers that came back suggested the now-defunct Circuit City, Sony, Best Buy or any of Apple’s soon-to-be direct competitors.

The answer Jobs kept hearing repeatedly, pointed to frequently wonderful customer experiences that happened at a Ritz-Carlton property. Curious to know their secrets, Jobs decreed that Apple would enroll all its soon-to-be retail managers in the training and leadership program of the Ritz-Carlton.

And now you know why whenever you stop by an Apple Genius Bar in any town, it’s impossible not to notice how their approach to service leans heavily on the concierge playbook, originally implemented by founder César Ritz when he opened the legendary Hôtel Ritz at Place Vendôme, Paris, back in 1898.

p.p.s… Fellow speaker and author of “UnMarketing”, Scott Stratten shares a wonderful experience of how far the Ritz-Carlton will go to take care of a customer.

Introducing ... BIG LITTLE LEGENDS!

It's our newest keynote/workshop and preview of the forthcoming book of the same name. It's entitled BIG LITTLE LEGENDS - How Everyday Leaders Build Irresistible Brands.

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Planning a Speaking Event?

The wheels of business are turning faster each quarter and your company or industry association may be busy making plans to stay ahead of the lighting-fast relevance curve. In that spirit, we are now booking events for 2019 and 2020 with organizations like the National Truck Equipment Association to dramatically rock their next conference with keynotes and workshops that inspire audiences to acquire “STADIUM-SIZED PERSPECTIVE”. For booking inquiries, please contact us.