Company Blog

Customer Service

by Adam Zack — April 24, 2024

Many people’s definition of great customer service is NOT having bad customer service.

I sat in on a leadership learning course yesterday with a group of six employees and our leadership coach, John Wood. One of the first questions he asked the group was “What’s your definition of outstanding customer service?” The answers varied from very vague, to slightly more specific, however no one gave a detailed response with an example of a great customer service experience. As we discussed the topic further, it dawned on me that many people’s definition of great customer service is NOT having bad customer service. Simple things like opening another checkout lane when the lines get long, smiling and greeting the customer and escorting them to a product when they inquire about where it’s located are now examples of excellent customer service instead of being expected, even required 10 to 20 years ago. In the old school days of retail, you would be remanded, even terminated, if you didn’t perform the basic customer service guidelines your employer set out. Perhaps the past 4+ years have changed our expectations of just what excellent customer service is and we are happy to just not receive indifferent service, but I really believe excellent cus...

by Adam Zack — April 17, 2024

Winners remain calm under pressure, even when the pressure is intense.

I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we all love being in a state of calmness. There’s no emergencies going on. We’re relaxed, focused and content. Calm is organized, aware and productive. It’s not distracted or interrupted. Calm is not frustrated or impatient. Calm comes after a good night’s sleep and isn’t easily distracted. Winners remain calm under pressure, even when the pressure is intense. We all want to remain calm, and want others around us to do the same.I have learned, however, that staying calm is not a piece of advice that can be easily given. Telling someone to “Just stay calm” or “Calm down”, no matter how calmly you say it, usually has the opposite effect. Responses are usually something along the lines of “Don’t you tell me to calm down! I am calm! YOU calm down!!!!” Calm doesn’t have exclamation points. Ever. So next time you find someone on your team or your family in an obvious non-calm state, the way to get them to calm the F down is how you behave in the situation. Leaders stay chill under pressure, and the team follows.

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by Adam Zack — April 10, 2024

They is Me!

What were they thinking? Why are they doing this? Who talks to them? We don’t. It’s like it’s them against us. Those types of comments happen every single day when there’s a communication gap in an organization. Even though I am a store owner, plenty of times I’ve been in a conversation with employees and they say something like “What are they going to do?” And by they, they mean leadership, and that means that They is Me. I’ll often ask the employee “Who are they?” and they’ll respond with something like “You know, you guys.” Especially in times of difficulty and uncertainty, the ‘They-We’ gap widens. It’s great leaders (and great communicators) who in good times and bad have teams that ask questions and make statements in terms of ‘we’ and ‘us’. ‘They’ is the impersonal entity that makes all the decisions for the business, and when things don’t go right, well, they get what they deserve, don’t they?Back in the 50’s there was a horror movie called Them! about giant ants that ate people. Some of you old timers may even have seen it in the theater hoping for a make-out session in the back row of the theater. You definitely didn’t want to mess with T...

by Adam Zack — April 3, 2024

Generosity is about others. “How can I help?”

A couple months ago DW sent me a blog from a guy named Seth Godin. I had never heard of him, but I really liked it, so I subscribed to his daily blogs. I can’t imagine writing one every single day, but they are mostly very short, insightful and most of the time really make me think. Seth has written 39 books, been an entrepreneur, and most importantly is a teacher of common sense, thought provoking business ideas and marketing tips. If your inbox isn’t already too full, you can subscribe to his blog here sethgodin.com I thought today’s was so relevant that I wanted to share it word for word.Generosity and Fear“Fear is self-focused. Day to day, our fear is about us. What will happen if we give that speech, launch that project, get stuck in traffic, are eaten by an alligator…And generosity is about others. “How can I help?”Jumping in the water to save a struggling swimmer stops us from worrying about how we look in our suit or whether the water is cold. And if you’re worried about the customer instead of your quota, making a sales call is easier too.The key scene at the climax of the Wizard...

by Adam Zack — March 27, 2024

There are three parts to a good amends

There is an art to apologizing. No, I shouldn’t say art, because that implies that with a lot of practice and natural talent, you have become really good at something. Being sorry so often that you have become a professional apologizer is not something you brag about. As essentially good people, we are trying to behave in thoughtful ways that don’t require frequent apologies. But we all screw up. Whether intentional or not, we all do and say things that hurt or offend others. And when we do that, as good people, we need to atone for our transgressions in a meaningful way. Love grows from forgiveness, and true repentance heals both the transgressor and the victim. Where things get sticky, and can result in prolonged grief and bad feelings, is an apology that sounds insincere or is not specific. “Sorry I made you mad” doesn’t quite cut it. “I’m sorry you’re so sensitive” is an insult. I read a lot, and a recent “Ask Amy” advice column in the newspaper (yes, some people still read the newspaper, but we are a dying breed) addressed making amends:

“There are three parts to a good amends: (1) tell them what you did (in other words, take r...

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Money

by Adam Zack — March 20, 2024

“That all takes money.”

As much as we like to tell ourselves that we work because of our passion for what we do, the real reason we all work is money. It sounds crass, but it’s true. Bills have to be paid. We need to eat. We like to do fun things, drive a car we like, go on vacation occasionally, and provide for our families. That all takes money. Businesses have to be profitable. It all boils down to earning money to pay for everything. There’s a fine line between earning money and recognizing why we do it and letting it overtake everything else. I know a man who prioritizes his money more than anything. More than his family, more than his friends, more than everything else in his life. It struck me as so odd, that this man who is worth at least ten million dollars, lets nearly every conversation lead to the discussion of how much things cost and how he only goes places when he can get a deal. He’s retired, with no commitments and still will only go places when the hotel rates are low or it’s happy hour at the restaurant. He’s not selfish at all, yet it’s evident that money is his first love. I see it and tell myself that if I ever am rich, I won’t be like that. Don’t get me wrong, everyone who works hard for their money should watch ove...
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Just a Chip

by Adam Zack — March 13, 2024

“… show them” that they were wrong.

For a very long time I have felt that holding a grudge and never forgiving is one of the biggest contributors to your own personal misery. Not letting go of the slights and infractions brought against you by some a-hole ultimately just keeps the negativity within your own personal sphere. Like shooting a slingshot inside the Cone of Silence, it only bounces back and keeps hurting you. Contrary to what most people think, forgiveness is not saying that how you were wronged, or who wronged you, is OK. It’s moving past it – letting it go. So when the theory that having a chip on your shoulder is actually a good thing was told to me, I was conflicted. Chip on your shoulder means you’re holding a grudge. It means that you’re daring someone to knock it off your shoulder so you can beat the crap out of them, or more eloquently, get your revenge. It’s a negative emotion that motivates you to be better.Some great athletes cite a chip on their shoulder as their motivation to achieve ultimate success. Tom Brady is the one that comes to mind first. He was picked number 199 in the 2000 NFL draft in round six. He felt he was better than that, and he was obviously right, but he used that as personal motivation to sh...
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Help

by Adam Zack — March 6, 2024

“How can I help?”

(Help)I need somebody
(Help) not just anybody
(Help) you know I need someone, help
– The BeatlesThere’s a movie from 1958 called The Fly. It starred Vincent Price and is the story of a scientist who invents this machine that teleports objects from one place to another. Not wanting to stop with just objects, he experiments with animals and finally people. The experiment goes terribly wrong when a common fly gets in the teleporting chamber as it’s about to transport the scientist. The result at the other end is a man with a fly’s head and a fly with a man’s head. The most memorable line is the fly-bodied tiny monstrosity screaming in a tiny fly-sized voice “Help meeee! Help meeee!” It’s a phrase that’s been repeated in reference to the film for decades, and you always picture that tiny fly with the human head. Of course, by then, it’s too late to help the fly-man, and the only help that could possibly be given is a quick smack with the fly swatter.More often today, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness. Very often in our grocery business (and pretty much in any business) we avoid asking for help. Even when help is offered – “Let me know what I can do to help.” “If yo...
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Change

by Adam Zack — February 28, 2024

“Long term change (think of it more as evolution) is not a young man’s concern.”

I’ve beaten the topic of necessary change nearly to death. Beaten it like a rented mule. Like a redheaded step-child. Like an expense account rental car. I believe in necessary change wholeheartedly, but, come on man, move along. So I am not going to write about change, I am going to write about the effects of change. Because whether we are choosing to be proactive about it or just ignore it, the long-term effects are going to be there. Long term change (think of it more as evolution) is not a young man’s concern. He thinks “What can I do today that will help me tomorrow? Immediate change and gratification are the concerns. I think our business is a lot like that too. We want to effect change through our actions, and we want to see and measure the results right away.As a young man I never thought the slow change of evolution would affect me. I looked at my grandpa and wondered why his earlobes were so big? He always had a receding hairline, right? I didn’t know him any other way. And how about that hair growing in his ears? Gross. To me these weren’t changes, it was how he always was. Surely he’d always used Brylcreem on his hair and Old Spice aftershave. He...
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Loyalty

by Adam Zack — February 21, 2024

“But loyalty only goes so far…”

loy·al
adjective
giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.
“loyal service”How loyal are you? I was thinking about how there are many levels of loyalty. A faithful spouse. A fan of your favorite sports team no matter how bad they are. A brand of automobile. The type of mobile phone you use. Even the type of barbecue you will buy. (I am a loyal Weber man.) The type of beer you drink. But how loyal are you to where you get your food? I think Amazon changed a lot of loyal shoppers because they brought something to the table that was easier, faster and cheaper than brick and mortar stores. We like to think we are loyal to our grocery store, especially if it’s independent and family owned. It’s us against the Krogers, Albertsons and Walmarts of the world, right? We gotta stick together! But loyalty only goes so far and so long unless you are giving your customers the intangibles like super friendly service, cleanliness, selection and quality. You may be a little more expensive, but the opportunity you have to make the connection that can influence generations to come. I saw a young mom and her two year old daughter in my store on Monday. ...
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