7 Courageous Ways Apple Became America's Most Valuable Company

I found this article about not just Apple, but what makes them one of the best. I thought I would share this piece by Carmine Gallo.

Steve Jobs started Apple in this garage.

This week Apple became America’s most valuable company—ever. Remarkably, Apple is worth more than Microsoft and Google combined. As the author of several books on Steve Jobs as well as the Apple retail store, I’m often asked about applying Apple’s techniques to companies and leaders in other fields. I’m happy to share my ideas. I think anyone can learn to give a presentation like Steve Jobs, to be more creative and innovative like Steve Jobs and to offer customer experiences on par of the Apple Store. But learning the techniques and adopting the techniques are completely different. It requires a curious mind to learn about Apple’s techniques, but it takes courage to implement them. Unfortunately, courage is in short supply. But for those who have it—true bravery—anything is possible.

One day last year I drove by the house where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple. Contrary to the legend, Apple actually started in the spare bedroom of the house before moving to the kitchen table and finally to the garage! I got out of the car to take a walk around the neighborhood, thinking about the walks Jobs and Wozniak must have had together, dreaming about changing the world. I wondered to myself, What attribute did those two young men have that others don’t? One word kept coming back to me: courage.

Here are 7 areas where you need to show courage if you intend to stand apart from the competition.

Courage to block out the bozos. I like to say that that innovation sits in a lonely place because few people have the courage to pitch radically new ideas and the self confidence to stick to their convictions. Steve Jobs had a vision to put computers in the hands of everyday people. Remember in 1976 computers were relegated to the hobbyist market and few people believed they computers would be household items. Some skeptics told Jobs that there was no reason why anyone would need computers in their homes. Jobs didn’t listen and went on to pioneer the personal computer. In 1997, Apple was months away from declaring bankruptcy. Michael Dell said he would shut it down and give the money back to shareholders.  Steve Jobs didn’t listen, streamlined Apple’s inventory significantly, and outpaced every public company in America. In 2001, most retail analysts told Jobs that his Apple Store ‘experiment’ wouldn’t work. Jobs didn’t listen and today the Apple Store is the most profitable retailer in America and copied by stores in every category. In 2007, many observers questioned why Apple would enter the market for smartphones. Jobs didn’t listen and today, as fellow Forbes contributor Tim Worstall discussed, the iPhone business is now worth more than all of Microsoft. And in 2010, many customers were skeptical that they needed a third device between a notebook and a smartphone—the iPad. Jobs didn’t listen and today the iPad has revolutionized the way we live, work, play, and even the way we take care of health.

Courage to keep things simple. Steve Jobs once said, “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.” In 2007 cellphone manufacturers were adding features to phones to make them ‘smarter.’ More features added complexity for consumers. Steve Jobs had the courage to eliminate the clutter, including the keyboard itself. Part of the iPad’s success is that it is incredibly easy to use. Since there’s only one button on it, even a 2-year-old can use it. Don’t believe me? Search YouTube for “2-year-old” + “iPad” and see how many people post videos of their children picking up an iPad for the first time. Apple’s lead designer, Jonathan Ive, once said, “We are absolutely consumed by trying to develop a solution that is very simple, because as physical beings we understand clarity.” In 1998, Steve Jobs told a business reporter that one of his mantras was focus and simplicity. “Simple can be harder than complex. But it’s worth it in the end, because once you get there you can move mountains.”

Courage to communicate simply. The average PowerPoint has forty words. It’s nearly impossible to find forty words on the first ten slides of a presentation given by Steve Jobs or current Apple executives. Bullet points don’t inspire; simple stories and pictures do. When I tell middle managers to simplify their slides, many will tell me that their boss wants more words and that it wouldn’t be received well.  So we compromise, making small changes that can still help their presentations be more impactful. Some leaders, however, go all in. They create and deliver presentations that inspire their audiences and generate more sales.

Courage to say no. When Mark Parker became the CEO of Nike, he called Steve Jobs for advice. Steve Jobs told Parker that Nike had a lot of great products, but also a lot of crap. “Get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff,” Jobs said. Enough said

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Courage to enrich lives. When Steve Jobs and former Apple head of retail, Ron Johnson (now CEO of JC Penney), started the Apple Store, they decided not to ‘sell stuff.’ They had the vision of building a retail store that would ‘enrich lives’ instead. When you start a company with the vision of enriching lives, interesting things begin to happen. Jobs and Johnson challenged retail convention in many ways. Enriching lives meant they opened stores where people live their lives—in the mall, not twenty miles away. They had the courage to run a non-commissioned sales floor, alleviating the pressure on customers to buy something ‘today’ and, as a result, build long-term customer loyalty.

Courage to empower employees. Apple Store employees are empowered to do what is right for the customer. If a specialist (sales associate) spends one hour with a customer and doesn’t make a sale, that employee will not be reprimanded by his or her superior. This doesn’t happen in most other retail environments or call centers where employees are pressured to spend less time with customers, not more. Another brand considered the gold standard in customer service—The Ritz Carlton—applies the same philosophy, as does the online shoe retailer, Zappos. It takes courage to trust your employees and it pays off in customer satisfaction.

Courage to hire for passion over proficiency. The Apple Store values a magnetic personality as much, if not more, than proficiency. It can train people to explain its products. It can’t teach passion. It can’t teach friendliness. It can’t teach personality. Steve Jobs once said, “What made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians and poets and artists and zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.” It takes courage to have this attitude and to hire people from outside your industry. The Apple Store learned that former teachers make great salespeople. Today Apple has some of the best staff of any retailer. It took courage to get there.

If you’re tired of below-average results, you need to change your thinking and make radical changes in your attitude. Stop taking the path of least resistance, the easy way. Be brave. Be bold. Have the courage to believe in yourself and your ideas.

Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a popular 

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

The innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs
The Apple Experience: Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty

Re-posted by Mark Wiggins
CEO Xtreme Effort Speaking and Consulting
Customer Service Training for Museum Stores and Gift Shops
Mark@Markthespeakerman.com 

Do You Have Good Business Etiquette?

Sit up straight.  Don't slouch.  Don't chew with your mouth open.  Don't use your salad fork for your entree.  Use your napkin properly.  

When we think of etiquette, we think of manners.  "Etiquette" in basic terms describes the customs or rules that govern acceptable behavior in social settings to include self-presentation, communication, courtesy, and hospitality.  

So how does this apply to your business?

Success in any industry relies on relationships, whether with co-workers, clients, suppliers, or investors.  when you're well-mannered and considerate in dealing with others, you create engaging, productive, and long term business relationships.  As such, it is important to learn, not just the technical side of business, but how to conduct one's self in the company of others.  

Business Etiquette can help you improve your business in the following areas:

• Branding:  Everything you do will reflect on  your company and your products.  Your professionalism will send the message that your business is credible and trustworthy.  Personalized care may very well be your edge against your competition.
• Customer Care:  The best way to show customers that their patronage is valued is to treat them with respect and consideration.  This in turn can inspire customer loyalty and positive feedback.
• Employee Engagement:  Good manners will help improve morale and confidence between employees and team members.
• Team Synergy:  Good manners will help establish smooth working relationships within a team, which contributes to greater productivity.

In the next few articles, you will learn the guidelines for the practice of business etiquette across different situations.

Related Articles:

Networking for Success:  Making the Introduction
Great First Impressions Without Nervousness
Mastering the Business Card Exchange

Recommended Reading:

• Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success, Second Edition 
• Business Etiquette For Dummies 
• The book of business etiquette 
• Business Etiquette, Third Edition: 101 Ways to Conduct Business with Charm and Savvy  

Strings, Strings, or No Strings!

If you follow any team sport, you know that a draft or picking of teams has to take place in order to play. It could be kickball, volleyball, or football. From the playground to the pro ranks; you have to choose your team.  When I was a kid, we would pick our captains for touch or backyard tackle football with the following method: you take the football and spin it behind persons back and then say, “strings, strings, or no strings”, and if they guessed right they were the captain and could pick the team!  It worked, don’t judge me.

You would think people wouldn’t pick their staff this way, but the fact of the matter is this type team building does exist in the business world today. You may be responsible for building your team or business and the team that you build will carry out your vision, represents you, and will interact with your customers when you are not present. 

Read the following quote,

"In the long run, no matter how good or successful you are or how clever or crafty, your business and its future are in the hands of the people you hire."

 Akio Morita, co-founder, Sony

As you can see hiring (or drafting) the right person is very important.  Here are some tips for to help build a team that will represent your company and will help develop the relationships with your customers to create the fanatics you want.

1. Hire those you can trust to build up your brand and your reputation.     Remember, they will be the face of your company when you are not there.
2. Make sure the person hiring understand the impact of bringing the right person in, and their impact on the company.
3. Remember the Culture = the way you do things. If you bring in new hires, make sure they understand your culture. It is your responsibility to train new hires on how you do it at your company.

Get better about how you pick your Team.

by,

Mark Wiggins

CEO Xtreme Effort Speaking and Consulting,

Creator of "Customer Service is as easy as, delivering news papers, making cookies, and selling t-shirts" 

Mark@markthespeakerman.com

Recommended Reading List:

• Hire With Your Head: Using Performance-Based Hiring to Build Great Teams
• Who: The A Method for Hiring
• Match: A Systematic, Sane Process for Hiring the Right Person Every Time

When it comes to customer service, it's all about relationships..

One of the most common customer complaints is about the uncaring customer service they receive. From rude staffs, endless phone systems, the list goes on and on. It seems that few businesses are going above and beyond to truly satisfy and wow their customers. Fortunately, there are some good companies out there that truly get it when it comes to customer service.  I am starting a series on lessons learned from some of best in the business. Let look at a practice that is a lost art forum.

Make It Personal

The worst thing a customer service department can become is impersonal. Yes, a certain amount of technology is necessary for efficiency, but customers should never feel like they are at the mercy of it when all they really want is to talk to a live person. Perhaps no company takes this lesson to heart more than Zappos.com..  They have legendary customer service and they and their customers have come to expect the unexpected when they use them.  In an article in footwear news written by Jennifer Ernst Beaudry in 2009 she gives an great example of making customer service personal. 

One of the craziest stories," said Jerry Tidmore, who manages Zappos' help-desk concierge service, "was that a guest checked in to the Mandalay Bay hotel [in nearby Las Vegas] and forgot her shoes."
According to Tidmore, the guest called Zappos, where she had originally purchased the style, looking for a replacement, but they didn't have any in stock. So the company found a pair in the right size at the mall, bought them and delivered them to the hotel - all for free. 
Such anecdotes are a testament to the company's central tenet, which is written right under the Zappos logo on the Website: "Powered by Service." And while most customers don't call the company looking for pizza, Zappos takes its commitment to service seriously - sacrificing short-term profits for it, investing a minimum of four weeks of training for each employee and operating a 24-hour warehouse that is admittedly not cost-efficient.

The goal, Hsieh said, is to make Zappos' customers very happy - and that leads to big cost savings elsewhere. "We let our customers do the marketing for us.”

So what would your customers say about your companies customers service? Is it personal enough to keep them coming back  Zappos says yes! 

by,

Mark Wiggins

CEO Xtreme Effort Speaking and Consulting,

Creator of "Customer Service is as easy as, delivering news papers, making cookies, and selling t-shirts" 

Mark@markthespeakerman.com  

@speakerman87

Suggested Reading:

• The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOW
• Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
• Permission to Succeed: The only person who needs to give it is you
• Customer Service Training 101: Quick and Easy Techniques That Get Great Results