Retail biz: What we have liked

What I've Liked: Lucky Me!

We've all been exposed to the retail industry for long enough for us to know that the words "Lucky Winner" is probably the second-most used phrase, bowing deferentially to the omnipresent, almighty  "Free"!  As frequently used are the words/ phrases so are its advertising avatars.

Almost every trick in the book seem to have been used, so much so that I had come to the conclusion that there are only so many ways that you can look at the camera  and convincingly say "Lucky Winner!". Till I came across the McDonalds commercial for Lucky Winners.

Set in the charmingly old-world ambience of a post office (I thought the courier companies had taken siege of all metros!) it has a quirky story-line with postmen puzzled at how so many people's names could begin with the word 'Lucky'.

A very simple device to cue in that everyone can get lucky with McDonalds. The repetitive stamping of the envelopes seem to reiterate the "Lucky Winner" frequency -- now which client wouldn't love that -- and within those precious twenty or thirty seconds, manages to effectively pound  the 'lucky stamp' in the viewer's consciousness as well. Simple, relevant and very effective, not to forget charming, this TVC is quite the winner this fortnight.

What I've Learned: Recruit for attitude, train for skills

It is a question which used to be a source of major concern for me and which has, over time became that favourite little puzzle in my head which I would continually go back to, to try and solve. The question is: Why do clients invariably leave the expertise, the strength and everything else that comes with a big advertising agency or any other service organisation and go with that one person who handles their business?

Why is it that clients fail to equate the employees' dedication with that of the agency that employs him? Clearly at some point in time the agency/organisation would not have treated the employee as rightly as he deserved to, which is why he absconded with the family silver. Which brings me to another one of my favourite mantras: Recruit for attitude. Train for skills.

You can always train a good person in whatever field that he chooses but an organisation can never imbibe a person with qualities like integrity, morality and ethics. High qualifications, scintillating achievements and all the years of experience in the world are no indicators of basic human values like goodness and courteousness -  which are the building blocks on which companies are built.

I lost my mother-in-law recently and my wife and I had a particularly dreadful experience at a leading national bank trying to claim her fixed deposit. We were treated like a couple of beggars while they made us wait for over six hours across 2 days just to withdraw our own money, apart from giving us unending grief with statements like : "We can't find the nomination papers etc"! What a world apart from the extremely courteous treatment that I receive from the country's leading private bank! Where too, despite all their efforts, when my 'perfect' CRM left and another took over, the difference was tangible.

Which is when it occurred to me that however great or large a company is, its entire reputation hinges solely on every single employees' one-to-one interaction with the company's customers. When that breaks down, the entire edifice is vulnerable to attack.

The only way forward is to treat your employees like they matter not like disposable napkins, only then your customers will be treated well and consequently. . . you, the company.