Generation Y Journey

We hear every day about the impact of the recession on retail sales.  Blah-blah-blah…  One of the key measures we hear about monthly is Retail Sales (YOY, month to month, season to season).  Retailers employ teams of marketers, advertisers, branders, strategists, consultants, auditors, whatever else to squeeze every dollar possible out of each consumer who walks through their doors.  What these elite teams are often missing is the significance of customer service.  HELLO…IT IS THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TRUE CONTROL OVER! My goodness…

I recently purchased a pair of boots for my girlfriend (Click HERE to see my awesome sense of style).  I came across them at a Macy’s Department Store (I’m providing the store name with hope that my review of their practices will spur a change).

I bought the wrong size - of course - so we went this weekend to get a half size smaller.  With receipt and boots in hand, we walked to the customer service counter where we were greeted with a not-so-friendly “Next” from the cashier.

LESSON #1:  Don’t greet your customers with “NEXT!”  Try something authentic like “Hi there, I see you are returning something, can we try another size or style” With that statement you are being extremely polite and personable while also progressing a sale.

After scanning the box and checking the inventory, the not-so-friendly cashier stateswithout even looking up from the keyboard:  “We don’t got a 7 in that.”

LESSON #2:  Use proper grammar.  This ain’t the streets bro.  This is a business.  More importantly, it’s a ladies show department.  Be a gentleman.

At this point, the grammatically incorrect, not so gentleman-like man offered to check other stores in the city.  He printed a small receipt with locations and the quantity available.  After a brief discussion, we decided on a location and started on our way.

Once back at the car, we called the other store to make sure they had the size in stock.

“Macy’s, how may I provide excellent customer service?”

A much better answer than “NEXT!”  Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.  After providing the product code to the lady on the phone she responds “I think we may have that”.  (Silence)

Um, hello!  We called you to be absolutely sure it was in stock before we drove across town.  Duh!  After some coaxing, she finally went and checked the backroom, found the size, and put the box off to the side for when we arrived.

LESSON #3:  Beat the customer to the punch.  A better answer would have been “Yes, according to our system we have that size in stock, if you don’t mind holding I will run back and check the inventory myself.  (We would have gladly held knowing that she was “running” to check) Yes, I have a size 7 for you; I’ll put it right here beside me at the register, what is your name and when can I expect you?”

Talk about creating a personal connection.  Now, we are absolutely coming directly there to buy shoes from your store.  That's called moving the sale forward while exceeding expectations.

(30 minutes later)

Walking hand in hand into Macy’s #2, we were excited to be in the right place.  Once we found the ladies’ shoes (there were no signs for ladies’ shoes, I guess they just assume there’s a magnetic attraction between women and shoes), we encountered a small line of 4 customers.  One associate was working the register while another younger lady was on the phone with a customer that had called in.

“I can’t check right now, I have a line out of my department.  Either I can put you on hold or you can call back later”

Not great way to speak with a POTENTIAL customer.  They haven’t even decided they want to come to you and you are being rude and unhelpful.

“So you want me to write down your number and call you back?? Ok, give me a second to find a pen. (loud sigh)  Ok, tell me your number.”

(Hangs Up)

“If that lady thinks I’m calling her back she’s crazy.”

OMG. At this point, I was nearly hyperventilating.  My exact comment “Do they not realize that there are now 8 customers standing within 10 feet of them?  (Sarcastic Tone) I can’t wait to get to the front of this line and be graced with her wonderful presence. “

LESSON #4:  Do NOT be mean, rude, inconsiderate or lack any desire to be helpful toward customers.  ESPECIALLY in front of a group of several other customers.

Before we reached the counter, another customer had walked up to her asking for a different size in a certain shoe.  After an extremely over-exaggerated sigh, she took the box from the customer, threw it on the marble floor behind the counter (insert loud noise here) and then stormed into the backroom.

LESSON #5:  Do not throw things.  Period.  I’m sure that nice lady was extremely appreciative of you walking to the backroom for a different size so she could spend $130 on a pair of heels that you are probably going to get some type of commission or credit from anyway.

Finally, reaching the counter, we grabbed the new size, quickly tried them on and were out the door as fast as possible.

LESSON #6:  The way you treat people in the shoe department is a reflection of the make-up staff, the clothing staff, the purses, and so on.

We weren’t in a hurry, but we left the store without even looking at anything else.  With money to spend, we didn’t even bother to take a peek around, all because we felt uncomfortable (even if it was on a subconscious level at the time).

THE POINT:  Customer service goes a long way.  The happier I am in a store, the more excited I am and the more willing I am to spend money.  Be nice to customers.  You’ll make more money!

Long ago, a teenager learned his calling in life.  As a young entrepreneur mowing yards, washing cars, and painting just about anything, the young boy quickly understood that waiting for the phone to ring wasn’t making him money.  The public needed to be informed of the services he offered and the benefits of hiring him over more professional service companies.  That teenager was me and thanks to advertising my services I built a savings account that helped make college much easier financially.  Now, I’m destined to be an Adman. 

Advertising is “sheer manipulation”
I’ve recently started reading Adland: A Global History of Advertising.  As I progress page by page, I love how the book address the stereotypes attached to the advertising industry.  Within the first 3 pages, Adland concedes:  “At a casual, dinner party level, most people are contemptuous about advertising. ‘Sheer manipulation,’ they mutter, darkly.” 

Without thinking about the influence advertising has on our economy and society, it’s easy to think that the messages on TV commercials, magazine ads, billboards and all other advertising channels are just unfair psychological appeals supplemented with enticing word combinations and fascinating visuals.

Advertising Ain’t That Bad
As advertisements continue to fill every avilable physical and emotional space is a consumer’s day, it’s not all that bad for the consumer.  Competition in advertising represents competition in the marketplace.  Brands are competing for a consumer’s attention to inform them about the features of their product versus that of their competitors.  But as consumers notice increased competition between brands in the ad space, behind closed doors the product creativity and innovation wheels are spinning faster and faster.  A victory for consumers at all levels of purchasing power!

I’ve been in the foursquare game for a few months now (I’m actually a Superuser – I got the badge to prove it…). I’m not real sure why I use it so much though. There are very few players and venues in Columbus, OH using it, the badges are neat but completely useless in the real world, and sometimes I don’t want people to know where I am. But…I’ve already checked into two places as of 7:30 this morning. The thing is, I understand the implications foursquare can have on marketing, advertising, branding and consumer behaviors and I believe that location based networking is one of the next evolutions in these industries.

Last night, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the founder of Columbus Gives Back. Juliana, the founder, and I met at Panera. As I pulled into the parking lot 10 minutes early, I decided to check in on foursquare. As I pulled the interface up on my Blackberry, I noticed the following:

Juliana @ Panera Bethel Rd. (8 minutes ago)

Let me provide some insight: I’m in sales. I meet with people all over the city every day. Often times when I arrive for these meetings, I have no idea if the person is there, what they look like or if we both even had the right location. Imagine the joy that came to me as I sat in my ’94 Honda Accord knowing that I’m definitely at the right Panera, meeting with the right person and that they are definitely inside.

I checked in on foursquare and walked in and found Juliana right away. The first thing she said to me “Hey I knew that it was your walking through the door because I just saw your Tweet about just getting here, I’m Juliana, nice to meet you!”

Foursquare, thank you for making 5 minutes of my usually awkward, frustrating, inconvenient day that much easier and setting the foundation for a great conversation about the power of social media. I’m giving you the “Made a life easier” badge. Congrats!

1.    There are no office hours
The neat part about college is that professor’s (typically) have a genuine interest in their students.   Their job is to develop young minds.  Unfortunately, that’s not in your boss’s job description (though this small, often unwritten responsibility is the difference between a manager and a LEADER).  Any minute you are spending with your boss, is a minute you are not out making money for the company.  Instead, find small amounts of time to share your experiences with your boss (a cell phone call while driving between appointments or while sitting in rush hour traffic). 

2.    7:00 a.m. is not early
7:00 a.m. is not early for anything.  Not for waking up, not for arriving at the gym, not for showing up at work, not even for McDonald’s breakfast.  That’s because all the people who truly want to be successful, have accomplished all of these things before 7:00 a.m.   To set yourself apart from the ordinary 8-5 careerists, you should accomplish something significant (significant meaning something external of your morning routine) before 7:00 a.m.
3.    Office social events don’t make sense BUT are important!
My current workplace just celebrated the holidays with a cookie exchange.  How cool is that?  We all get together and drink and eat cookies.  That’s pretty neat to me.  UNTIL…I found out that cookie exchange means you bake a dozen cookies for each person in attendance.  Total party attendance:  13 people.  Total cookie count:  156.  That not only means I needed to bake 156 cookies, but I am taking home 156 cookies.  Imagine the challenges that I’m faced with:  156 cookies requires a significant amount of ingredients, oven space, cookie dishes, cookie trays and time.  How many 23 year olds, who live in a city apartment and are on an entry-level sales salary have these – and then want to take home 156 cookies.

The real point…building relationships with your co-workers is the best gift you can give your career this holiday season.  If not only to leverage your career down the road, but because most times these people are excellent people to know in your area and are great to be able to turn to for your personal and professional needs.


4.    No More Monopoly Money
The most alarming wake-up call I have received since college is that Starbucks coffee costs $3.50.  What happen to my college meal plan?  With the swipe of a card I could buy a Super-Tall-Chocolate-Mocha-Frappuccino-Espresso-no-whip- double-shot-something-or-other every morning before my 8 a.m. and every evening after night class.  Wow, how things have changed without a card that conveniently allowed me to delay the initial expense of those tall sugary drinks until 10 years later with a neat little interest rate attached to those wonderful little student loans that made my college life more like 4 years on an episode of The Hills.   In real world money terms, that’s about $10.00 a day, $70.00 a week, $3,640 a year. 

5.    Prestigious College Degrees Don’t Mean Shit
Graduating with the #9 best public business degree in the United States, 3 years of internship experience, contributing to a national recognized business organization, hanging out on the Dean’s list, international business education in both Latin American and Asia, attending CEO speaker after CEO speaker doesn’t mean shit (maybe my run-on sentences have contributed to the meaninglessness of my degree). The workplace is changing faster than higher education can adapt.  Your best bet:  Follow the lead of the workplace, learn what is changing, how your skills sets would be successful and mold yourself to work in those environments.  That will set you apart from the majority of college graduates and make you desirable to hire. 

What I’ve truly learned since college...You have to work your ass off every day, every hour.  Yes, that is Saturdays and Sundays too.  And it might even mean a Friday night in (what?  No bumping and grinding at the local college bar while drinking cheap beer out of plastic cups!?!?). 

You need to meet people (lots of them).  Which means you need to buy a lot of dinners for people.  Which means you need to shut your mouth for a few minutes and listen to people who have been where you are and have learned the hard lessons and are telling you how to make your career successful.  It’s well worth your valuable time!

You need to learn how other people who are successful think and then develop you own methods of being creative.  Surround yourself with great people.  Warren Buffet is famous for this “snowball” philosophy.  Surround yourself with great people and great work and before long you become successful by raising your bar to match those around you.

This isn’t a rant and rave about the difficulties of the transition from college to career.  It’s a learning experience for every 20-something, soon-to-be college grad or young professional that still doesn’t get it.  Take a good hard look at the 2009 you.  What did that person do great and what can they do better?  Build off your successes and eliminate the effects of the negative stuff.  Do that…and your 2010 will be the best ever.  Mine definitely is going to be…..

I once had an opportunity to hear Gary Kunath speak to a small group of students in my business fraternity at Miami University.  Gary was awarded Business Person of the Year in the USA (by President Bush), is part owner of several professional baseball teams along with Jimmy Buffet, Bill Murray, Jimmy Fallon and Mike Veeck and is CEO of the Summit Group.

Gary shared with us his prospective on life and business....his philosophy:  "Fun is Good".   While Gary spoke about leading innovation and developing life worth, the thing that hit home with me was how he choose his business partners and network and most importantly, FRIENDS!


Since the day I heard Gary speak, I've collaborated his philosophy with my own to develop these 3 guidelines for choosing who I surround myself with.

Value Experiences Over Tangibles
Translation:  Attending events or owning luxury items?  When I decide how I'm going to spend my time and money, I focus on delegating it to real experiences.  I will always choose 4 tickets for my friends and I to attend a concert or sporting event over a 62" plasma T.V.  Yes, the event probably costs just as much as the T.V. and lasts a small fraction of the time, but the memories and experience I have during the day of the event are valued much higher than sitting on my couch watching the same thing.  I surround myself with people who feel the same because they tend to be more energetic, opportunistic, outgoing and exciting.


More Positive than Negative
Seems obvious, right?  Think about the people you spend time with; is there someone that is always saying you can't do something or there is no need to try something.  The thing I LOVE about my friends and my professional network, is that none of them ever think something is a bad idea.  Now does that sometimes cause me to fail at something or possibly even get in a little trouble, heck yes!  But, the adventure of not knowing what may be ahead and that something huge could emerge is motivating.


Belief 
This is the most important guideline!  I launched my blog, moved cities and started a new job all at the same time.  This transition quickly identified my true friends who believe in me and exploited the ones who do not.  Surprisingly, it was very easy to identify those people!  I had friends and people say things making fun of my blog, or my comments on my Facebook account - an obvious indication they aren't on the same page as me and do not believe in my vision.  I've lost a tremendous amount of respect for those people.

These guidelines have aided me in surrounding myself with the people I feel can add value to my life and that I can do the same for their life.  All people are different, so find the things that are important to you and surround yourself with exceptional people. 


What are your guidelines?

Success is like marriage….in many ways!  (DISCLAIMER:  I have zero experience in marriage, I’ve only observed)  Success, like marriage, is something that is programmed into each of us at a very young age.  It’s safe to guess that a majority of us have dreamed of being a rich and successful person with a beautiful spouse and family.  The point is that marriage and career success have similar paths.

Commitment

 
Time  
Great things take time.  Overnight successes take years worth of hard working days.  Like successful marriages, successful careers offer years worth of fulfillment, feelings of significance and contentment in one’s life.  If something is worth having, it’s worth taking time and working hard for.  As each day passes, you’ll find more and more fulfillment from your career.