The three things you’ll get out of this post:

1. What is company culture?
2. Why is company culture important?
3. How to create a company culture?

All I care about are dollars and cents

Every year Forbes magazines releases a list of the best companies to work for and in large part the companies on the list have established a culture that both their customers and employees are a part of.

Companies have figured out that eventually someone else will replicate any good idea, usually at a fraction of the price. The one thing that copycats can’t replicate is a culture. A business’s culture does not happen overnight but is a core philosophy of the company. I recently read Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh the CEO of Zappos.com. The book is a must for any business looking to create something other than a product or service.

Although Delivering Happiness is one book about one company, the idea of creating a culture is expanding quickly as other brands attempt to create something in addition to what is for sale. The secret is knowing that people are emotionally attached to their purchases. People are buying much more based on information that they have read online or heard directly from their friends/family. Creating a way for people to become more emotionally attached to your brand is a WIN-WIN for you and your customers.

If aunt Tambi has a wonderful experience with the customer service rep at an online retailer and shares her experience with you, in the future when you need something similar, you’ll remember. The same goes for having a bad experience with a company. The difference being with bad experiences people are much more likely to share their discontent via social media.

Culture Smolture

Illegal counterfeiting is a $600 Billion a year business. Imagine how much money is spent making similar products legally… The secret ingredient for profit is to create a product that can’t be so easily replicated. For the same reason Gold is so valuable, your company can become the Gold of your niche.

How many times have you heard of a brand new gadget like the iPhone 4 being released to have replicas shown on CNN hours later from a store in China somewhere? For the same reason the fashion industry and car industry change all the time, businesses are constantly forced to stay “one step ahead” of the competition. Really companies are trying to remain profitable as long as they can until the masses catch up.

Culture allows companies to take boring or beat industries and transform them back into profitable niches because something other than the product is being provided. That something is the secret sauce to the financial equation that allows companies to charge much more for the same product as their competition while gaining market share.

People are craving connections to brands and cultures that have been ignored for way to long.

Wake up and smell the culture

In order to establish a culture, your company needs to allow a certain level of freedom for your employees to help. A CEO can’t dictate a culture of the company and expect the employees to follow along. All the employees have to be involved on a personal level for any type of culture to succeed.

Many companies are creating a set of CORE VALUES that they can hang their hat on to determine if something is inside or outside of their culture. Then they allow their employees to create fun, unique, interesting ways to bond as a group and to welcome “outsiders” (customers) into that group. When a company mixes a product/service with a thick culture, they now have created a product that others can’t easily replicate. The company culture marketing strategy is one that will pay dividends over the long haul.

First of all, you are allowing your employees to be fun and creative, boosting morale and overall happiness Second, you are creating something unique and desirable by others. Last, culture allows businesses to rebuild lost profit margins by creating a new product for people to consume.

Start now, be unique, have fun and spread the love. Ultimately your company will be rewarded at every level.

I don’t call a lot of businesses out when I see poor customer service, but my experience with Curt’s Lock and Key of Fargo is a good example of one business that missed out on gaining a new customer.

I needed to make a copy of a house key and stopped into Curt’s Lock and Key in Fargo as it came recommended by the person who lost my spare keys (Justin). I had never been to Curt’s store before, so I had no expectations.

I walked in right behind another couple looking to get some keys made. I stood patiently behind them waiting my turn. There were two employees behind the counter, one helping the customers in front of me, the other buried in a book of sorts probably lock related. There was one more guy moving around in the back room going about his business and another one standing 4 feet from me in the showroom talking with a customer (probably a regular).

The man in the showroom seemed to be the manager or possibly the owner. I have no idea what his position actually is, but judging by the lack of dirt on his clothes compared to the others, he must be important.

After about 5 minutes of listening to and watching these two men talk, I assumed business is so good they must not need my business. So I left.

I know they aren’t going to miss their monthly budget because they didn’t make me a set of spare keys, but what they did do is fail miserably in the customer service department. I can imagine 15 different ways they could have had a loyal customer for life who would pass along word of their excellent service to family, friends and blog readers. But not one of those things happened.

There was no “Hi, I’ll be right right with you” or “Is there anything I can help you with?”

It was clear that B.S.ing with a customer was more important than someone standing there needing service.

I would think proper customer service would be standard and even more important than ever when money is tight. With customer service, I tell people to treat everyone like they are Bill Gates. You never know who could be around to pass along any shortcomings.

I doubt this post has any effect on Curt’s business or client base, but I sure hope if the employees read this they will consider changing how they respond to customers.

Cheers.

This is a guest post by Lindsay Stordahl. Lindsay is the author of That Mutt a Dog Blog and the owner of Run That Mutt a dog running service out of Fargo, ND. She also happens to be my girlfriend. I hope you enjoy.

I work with dogs almost every day, and I see several others in passing. It’s so common for dogs to be out of control that most people expect dogs to bark, jump, pull and never sit still. I really notice when a dog is calm, responsive and under control. I’m trying to make a point to compliment these dog owners on their dogs because they are rare. And trust me, these dogs aren’t naturally well behaved, their owners have worked with them. I can tell a lot about a person by looking at his or her dog.

But along with “rude” dogs, lately I’ve noticed the same with people. I’m talking about professionals who work in customer service and do not deal well with people. I wish I had kept track of all the managers, bankers, customer service representatives and receptionists who were impolite, impatient and uninterested in me as a customer in the last two weeks. I don’t see why it’s so hard to be polite to an average customer. After all, I am probably paying them for their service.

I realize the majority of people hate their jobs nowadays, but you’d think employers would set higher standards for their employees and really be on top of how the customers are treated. After all, nothing sells a product or service better than word of mouth from satisfied clients. Treating customers and potential customers well is probably still the best marketing tool out there.

It’s so rare to deal with a customer service representative who genuinely cares about me that when it does happen, I really remember that person and their business. I’ve been making a point to genuinely thank them and of course continue using what they have to offer.

I try to show appreciation for readers of my blog by offering the best information I can, visiting and commenting on all of their blogs, giving opportunities for feedback and giving away free stuff. I know I could do more.

If you are a blogger, think about what it feels like when you contribute genuinely decent comments to someone’s post and then you never hear from him or her. That person didn’t even bother to acknowledge your comment. Are you going to visit that blog again? Maybe, but you might think twice before leaving another comment. What about the blogger who does acknowledge your comment?

Remember to keep your customers in mind. After all, where would you be without them? Have you had a recent bad expierence with someone in customer relations? Have you gone out of your way to make someone known lately?