The Holy Grail of Life: The 3 Ms

Today's golden nugget is about what we all seek:

"Money, Meaning and Magic are what people want from life."

If you think about it, I'm sure you will agree.

Have a great weekend!

Problem solving

Here is a golden nugget about problem solving:

"Ignore problems that solve themselves.
Delegate problems that others can solve.
Do yourself what only you can do."

This is a good one to keep in mind as it helps you improve your productivity - and lower your stress levels.

A golden nugget about time wasting to start the week

We'll start the week off with the last golden nugget about time for now:

"Time that passes never returns.
That’s why it ought to be a crime to steal other people’s time."

This cuts both ways. Don't waste other people's time - and make sure you don't allow them to waste yours. We hope you have a productive week.

Golden Nugget: Productivity

Following on from the first golden nugget about productivity, here is another one for the weekend:

"Time is the most democratic of all your resources. Everybody has the same available time at their disposal every day: 24 hours."

"A Complaint Is a Gift" Competition Ending Soon!

Just a quick reminder that our competition, where you can win 1 of 5 signed copies of A Complaint Is a Gift ends next Sunday the 31st of August.

Hurry and send in your best anecdote about good or bad customer service to us to be in with a chance.

If you don't believe you stand a chance of winning or just can't wait to get your hands on a copy of the book you can order it from Amazon.com with a saving of 32% on the list price. You can also get a complimentary excerpt from the book.

See the competition details here and remember that it is open to residents of all countries.

Golden Nuggets

We have decided to share some of the wisdom accumulated over more than 30 years in management consultancy at both TMI and since Claus sold the company and started his new consultancy. These Golden Nuggets are small pearls of wisdom, which we hope can help you by inspiring you to be your best.

The first golden nugget that we would like to share with you has to to with productivity:

"Time is the shortest of your resources, the only thing you cannot buy more of.
Therefore, it is not a matter of getting more time but of making the best possible use of the time you have."

Building A Customer-Focused Culture at Zappos.com

As promised, I wanted to give you some insight into the customer-centric culture at Zappos.com. Zappos is one of the fastest growing retailers in the US and on the Internet, with sales of their shoes and accessories set to hit $1 billion this year. It is run by Tony Hsieh, who gracefully accepted the invitation to write the foreword to the second edition of A Complaint Is a Gift, the book version co-authored with Janelle Barlow, of the customer service concept I pioneered back in the early 1990s.

Tony has instilled a culture at Zappos based around 10 core values, which not only guide their everyday dealings with internal customers as well as external ones, but they are also a part of the hiring process so you need to exhibit these traits if you dream of getting a job with Zappos. The 10 values are:

1. Deliver "WOW" through service
2. Embrace and drive change
3. Create fun and a little weirdness
4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
5. Pursue growth and learning
6. Build open and honest relationships with communication
7. Build a positive team and family spirit
8. Do more with less
9. Be passionate and determined
10. Be humble

In addition to these 10 core values, Tony also has some incredibly good tips on how other companies can learn from Zappos and truly focus on their customers to achieve success. And what a success Zappos has become. 75% of all sales come from repeat customers and basket sizes increase from the first to the second transaction. This is all down to ensuring that the customers really do feel welcome and looked after by Zappos.

What impressed me most about Tony is his genuine interest in his customers. I read a story about how two sisters felt that they had been racially profiled by a Zappos outlet store in Las Vegas and how Tony personally dealt with the complaint along with other members of senior management. Read this inspirational tale of true customer service.

Try doing a Google search on Zappos and their customer service as well and you will find many fascinating insights into the company both from employees and from customers. The idea of doing an annual culture book is also something I like a lot, although I would like to see this being made available for free (perhaps as a PDF?)

Tony is very active on the speaking circuit and is not afraid to share the secrets of his success with people in all industries. The principles he has used to build the foundation for Zappos.com are evergreens in the field of customer service and customer relationship management and can be applied by ANY COMPANY in ANY FIELD. On Tony's blog he is more than happy to share his wisdom with you and you can watch several of his keynotes.

If you have time to watch only one, I would recommend that you watch Tony's keynote presentation below to be inspired to do something to improve your customer focus. I can guarantee you that just a tiny improvement in ONE of these areas can increase your customer loyalty and customer lifetime value (LTV) dramatically.

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FREE excerpt from A Complaint Is a Gift

August 1, 2008 the 2nd edition of A Complaint Is a Gift hit the shelves. We've now got a free excerpt which you can download (PDF). The original sold more than 130,000 copies.

Thoroughly revised and updated with new material on handling Internet complaints, dealing with complaints directed at you, complaining effectively yourself, as well as new examples covering a wide range of industries.

The concept is more relevant than ever in today’s constantly connected world, when customers can complain instantly and broadcast their dissatisfaction around the world.

Download the excerpt.

Don't forget to enter our competition to win 1 of 5 copies signed by Claus.

If you would like to buy a copy of the book at the discounted launch price of $13.57 go to Amazon.com.