|
|
|
|
Permission to reprint articles
All articles appearing on this site are copyrighted by Contented Cow Partners, LLC.
Permission to reprint is hereby granted to all print and electronic media provided that the contact information at the end of each article is included in your publication. Additionally, please mail one copy of your publication to: Contented Cow Partners, LLC, 7847 Glen Echo Road North, Jacksonville, FL 32211. E-mail electronic publications to Richard@ContentedCows.com.
Thank you.
Permission is also granted for reasonable editing, including article title and industry-specific examples.
Please call 800-940-7006, or e-mail, if we can help in any way.
Download images:
The authors - lower resolution
Book Jacket - high and low resolution
Return to Editor’s List of Articles
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Thinking Outside Donut Box Brings Sweet Rewards
By Richard Hadden and Bill Catlette
There was a time when the manager was supposed to be the one that came up with all the bright ideas necessary to have a successful business. Employees were expected to march in lockstep to the boss's orders, without questioning his wisdom or adding ideas of their own.
There was also a time when guys wore polyester leisure suits, but I don't hear anyone clamoring for the return of those days either.
Leaders in well-run companies involve employees at all levels in their businesses' success. They do it to save money, increase revenue, and share the load.
Jay Jacobs is a management trainee with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He gets paid to think, not just rent cars. Jay's business thrives partly on referrals from a nearby cluster of car dealer repair shops.
Now, car rental experiences don't generally stand out for me. This one did. While Jay was printing out the paperwork for a loaner car for me to drive while my car was in the shop, he offered me a fresh donut from a special Enterprise Rent-A-Car donut box. I won't tell you whether I accepted his offer or not, but after I wiped the sugar off my lips, I asked, "What's the deal with the private label donuts?"
When Jay arrived at this branch, just a few months before, it was their practice to buy donuts from a well-known donut chain once a week and deliver them to car dealers and other auto-related businesses which could refer customers to Enterprise. It was a good idea, and it worked. Then Jay improved upon it.
He wondered, "Why are we delivering these donuts in boxes with the baker's name on them? People appreciate the donuts, but they think of them, not us."
When Jay started his job, his boss, Kim Lego, an area manager with Enterprise told him his job was to give great customer service and bring in as much business as he could. To Jay, that meant doing a lot more than just completing assigned tasks.
Without needing permission, he went down to a nearby donut shop and negotiated a deal for a volume discount on fresh, hot donuts, to be picked up on the appointed day each week. At the branch, then, the donuts are transferred into special boxes imprinted with the Enterprise logo before being delivered to the automotive community.
"I don't know if there's a connection," Jay said, "but our business is growing."
Of course, there's a connection.
There is also a connection between Jay and Enterprise. He is committed to this company he describes as a great place to work. He sees the branch's success, and therefore his own, as inextricably linked.
That's because long before Jay ever thought about a career there, the need to think creatively was baked into his job. And each day, the leaders around him sprinkle that job with just the right amount of encouragement and incentive to make it work.
Don Harrison sells garage doors to builders, amid the residential building boom in Las Vegas. He gambled on an idea, a program he calls Doorbucks, and won a huge payoff. Don has a large sales force for a small company. It consists not only of real salespeople, but, get this, clerks, delivery drivers, and installers -- and their families. He puts money in a jar, where everyone can see it, for every new customer brought in by anyone in the company.
Each month, this tangible, visible fund is divided evenly among everyone in the company.
This prompted his accounts receivable clerk to get in her car and drive around looking for new subdivisions being built. It causes everyone in the company to keep their eyes and ears open for sales opportunities. As a result, this small independent dealer is blowing the garage doors off the competition.
How can you get the same kind of involvement from those you pay to help run your business?
Expand job descriptions to focus not only on tasks and duties, but also on outcomes, accountability, and rewards. Job descriptions are important, but most are far too narrowly defined.
I'm not suggesting that people meddle in each other's jobs, but you have to get everyone thinking about the common goal of your Enterprise, and working tirelessly toward it every day. That fosters cooperation, and discourages competition, among the various functions in your business.
Make everyone a salesperson. From the front line to the assembly line, build in the kind of enthusiasm about your product and your company that makes your employees want to tell everyone they know why they should buy from you. Make everyone a customer service representative. "That's not my job" just will not fly anymore. The pilot (not a flight attendant) saw my frustration as I scrounged around for a pen before the beginning of a long flight. He left the cockpit doorway and reached in his pocket to offer me one of the two pens he was carrying. It doesn't take much. Make it interesting. We all know that what gets measured, and rewarded, gets done. Build in financial incentives for all your people to make the business thrive. Measure and recognize the small acts that bring in business. Pay a "commission" on cost-saving ideas. It could be the best investment you will ever make.
Please print the following attribution for this article: Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden, co-authors of Contented Cows Give Better Milk, help clients clobber the competition by having a focused, fired up, and capably led workforce. They deliver powerful conference keynotes and leadership training. They can be reached at 800-940-7006 (+1-904-720-0870 from outside North America) or www.ContentedCows.com.