2 min readEnhancewell
I recently saw a story online about a complaint to Domino’s Pizza. The hungry patron tweeted, “Yoooo I ordered a Pizza & Came with no Toppings on it or anything, Its Just Bread.” Not long after, he sent a follow-up tweet, “Never mind, I opened the pizza upside down :/” All of the ingredients were there, but the format was all wrong. The same is often true in business. You might have all the key components for a successful business, but you’re just not seeing the results you expect. How can we learn from this delivery disaster?
First, let’s take a look at the essential “ingredients” for brand excellence. In my experience, kindness, hospitality, and sales are the top three qualities of successful brands.
Kindness
As we build our pizza, we start with the base. A culture of kindness– both within your organization and to potential clients– pays. A study by the University of Delaware reveals that when employees feel supported, organizations experience lower recruiting, hiring, and training costs, as well as higher productivity.
Jamil Zaki, a neuroscientist and associate psychology professor at Stanford, believes kindness is essential. He says, “The key to our success is not the survival of the fittest.” Instead, “It’s survival of the friendliest.” When you’re friendly to potential customers purely for kindness’ sake (not just to get the sale), customers can sense it.
Like the upside-down pizza delivery shows, a base of kindness alone isn’t enough to excel in business. However, it’s impossible to succeed without it.
Hospitality
Disney is known for a culture of hospitality, treating everyone like a VIP and creating magical experiences for guests. The result? A staggering 70% return rate for first-time guests. The 5-day vacation for two adults and a child costs more than $4,500, so it’s not affordability drawing in guests from around the world. A study by SuperOffice shows that 86% of Americans say they’re happy to spend more for a good customer experience and 73% fell in love with a brand after friendly customer service.
Sales
Kindness and hospitality are the base of any great business, but it’s just the crust. To close the deal and create a business relationship, sales is the cherry (or cherry tomato and cheese) on top. If you cringe a little when you hear the word “sales,” you’re not alone. We’ve all been the target of a driven salesman with a looming quota. Here’s how to sell without the sleaze factor:
- Believe in your business
- Communicate the problem your business was created to solve
- Share how your business solves the problem
- Practice your pitch
- Be kind and hospitable in the process
Be genuine as you speak to customers. Don’t shy away from sharing why your business is great, and listen empathetically to any hesitations from your potential customer.
When you combine kindness, hospitality, and sales, you’ve created a recipe for the success of your business. Building genuine relationships is essential in closing a sale and creating a cycle of repeat business.