change agent « Customer Experience: Take A Stance

Posts Tagged ‘change agent’

01
Apr
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with them.

Today we look back at the Stance Friends and Fans featured in the first quarter of 2011.

We kicked the year off right and celebrated Culinary Connectors which shares the love, passion and excitement of Denver’s culinary world.

Next was Seattle Fish Company, the region’s largest supplier of fish. We celebrate them because they bring value and selection that are second to none — with the personal service of a three-generation, family-owned business.
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Lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap), refers to a small, unexpected extra gift or benefit presented by a store owner to a customer at the time of purchase and is why we celebrated Marketing Lagniappe and their search for great service.

The following Friday we celebrated Diana and Michael Kearns, The Kearns Team, who take pride in their knowledge of Denver Real Estate, especially in Stapleton, Park Hill, Wash Park, Highlands, Whittier, Lowry and Lower Downtown.

And who can forget celebrating 34° Crispbread, also a local company, whose mission is simply to make the very best crackers that are as good on their own as they are with a little something extra — especially when that something extra is cheese.
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Today we say happy birthday to CrossFit Denver, which was the first public CrossFit affiliate in Colorado opened in 2005 by Denver native, Randy Goldstein.

On St. Patrick’s Day we celebrated The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer research that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization.
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We said farewell to March and celebrated The National MS Society Colorado Chapter, a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now, and Earth Force, who engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

Which of these Stance Friends and Fans did you have an experience with?
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If you have had an experience with any of these Stance Friends and Fans, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, analysis, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, engage, expectations, family owned, feedback, Friday, retail service, social media, sparkpoint, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

24
Mar
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with them.

Earth Force envisions a nation where young people from all walks of life are actively making positive change to the environment at their schools, in their neighborhoods, and in partnership with their communities.
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Their Mission Statement:
Earth Force engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future.

At Earth Force, they are passionate about young people finding their voice while assuming leadership roles in solving local environmental problems. They are dedicated to:

: Revolutionizing the way adults work with young people.
: Championing the role of young people in their communities.
: Building cutting-edge environmental service-learning programs that put youth in the driver’s seat around addressing local issues.

Earth Force believes that real change happens in communities when stakeholders come together to form a common agenda. Earth Force brings together school districts, community based organizations, corporations, communities of faith and institutions of higher education to create such a coordinated effort to engage young people.
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They bring together partners to transform how communities educate and engage young people around environment issues. Together, Earth Force and their partners stimulate opportunities for young people living in low-income communities to engage in real problem solving around environmental issues in their communities.

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If you have had an experience with Earth Force, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans

Tags: align, analysis, benchmark, brand promise, change, change agent, communities, customer centric, customer experience, customer service, earth force, empower, engage, environment, expectations, Experience, experience exemplified, experience path, moment of truth, neighborhoods, optimal conditions, partnership, perception, service-learning, sparkpoint, touchpoint, word of mouth, youth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

18
Mar
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with their them.

March is National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month. The National MS Society Colorado Chapter is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now – to move together toward a world free of MS. .
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Each year, thousands of Coloradans come together to raise funds and awareness for the Society by participating in fundraising events all around the state.
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Join the movement and MOVE OTHERS!

In the United States today, there are approximately 400,000 people with multiple sclerosis MS—with 200 more people diagnosed every week. Worldwide, MS is thought to affect more than 2.1 million people. While the disease is not contagious or directly inherited, epidemiologists—the scientists who study patterns of disease—have identified factors in the distribution of MS around the world that may eventually help determine what causes the disease. These factors include gender, genetics, age, geography, and ethnic background.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.

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If you have had an experience with the National Multi Sclerosis Society Colorado Chapter, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, analysis, benchmark, bike ms, brand promise, cem, change agent, colorado society, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, dontate, empower, engage, expectations, Experience, experience exemplified, experience mapping, feedback, Friday, hike ms, journey, moment of truth, ms, multiple sclerosis, optimal conditions, restaurant customer service, run ms, sparkpoint, strategy, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

28
Jan
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with their company, product or service.

Denver is made up of neighborhoods and architecture that are as diverse and unique as the people who live here. Say hello to Diana and Michael Kearns, The Kearns Team, who take pride in their knowledge of Denver Real Estate, especially in Stapleton, Park Hill, Wash Park, Highlands, Whittier, Lowry and Lower Downtown.
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Whether you are relocating to the Denver Metro area from another city or simply moving across town, they can provide the information you need. Relocation buyers have special needs, and they know corporate relocation processes. The Kearns Team will help you understand local practices in home buying or selling.
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For every transaction, either Diana or Michael will be your primary contact, and the other will provide additional support. This allows them to continue to provide personalized service while also being more flexible to meet your needs. When you are ready to buy or sell, visit their facebook page and contact them.

The Kearns Team on Facebook.

The Kearns Team website.

Call The Kearns Team at 800-841-8220.
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If you have done business with The Kearns Team, please share it here. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, alliance, benchmark, brand promise, buy a home, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, denver, denver metro, denver real estate, employee training, empower, engage, expectations, experience exemplified, family owned, Friday, green building, happy customer, journey, kearns team, lowry, moment of truth, mortgage, optimal conditions, perception, positive referral, process, reality, remax, repeat business, retail service, sell a home, social media, sparkpoint, stapleton, strategy, touchpoint, wash park, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

22
Jan
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

9 Comments

There is a great word that originated in Louisiana called: lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap). The Creole word literally translated means “the gift.” It refers to a small, unexpected extra gift or benefit presented by a store owner to a customer at the time of purchase. The people of Louisiana have embraced the term and broadened the definition to include any time a little something extra is given.

When applied to marketing, it equals a marketing lagniappe: any time a business goes above and beyond to provide a little something extra.
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Stan Phelps, Chief Solutions Officer for Synergy Events, is searching for 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe for his book: What’s Your Purple Goldfish?
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The basic ingredients or R.U.L.E.S of Purple Goldfish: Relevant-Unexpected-Limited-Expression-Sticky.
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REWARD: For each of the first 1,001 examples of lagniappe Phelps will donate a non-perishable food item to the Thomas Merton Center, a soup kitchen in Bridgeport, CT that provides food and other programs that help people move out of poverty to become self sufficient.
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In addition, each Purple Goldfish example will be featured on the website and the best examples will be featured in his upcoming book.
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How to contribute:

: e-mail your Purple Goldfish to sphelps@synergyevents.com.
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BONUS: If your Purple Goldfish gets in to the book, you receive a complimentary signed copy.

Examples of worthy marketing lagniappe or Purple Goldfish:

: Southwest Airlines – Grab you bag . . . it’s on. Southwest doesn’t charge for bags.

: TD Bank – TD Bank’s penny arcade in their lobby, a free service to exchange coins.

: Five Guys Burgers and Fries – Free peanuts while you wait and extra fries with your order.

: Doubletree Hotels – Complimentary warm chocolate chip cookie when you check-in.

: Zappos – Free upgrade of your shipping to next day.

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What is your recent Purple Goldfish? Tell Stan Phelps and share with Stance.

Want to learn more? Watch this YouTube video: Marketing Lagniappe – In Search of Your Purple Goldfish.

Visit marketing lagniappe for more great examples of a Purple Goldfish.

Follow Stan on Twitter.

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If you have submitted a Purple Goldfish, please share it here. If not, visit them today and submit a new one for the book. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, angry customer, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, employee training, empower, engage, expectations, Experience, experience exemplified, family owned, feedback, Friday, happy customer, journey, lagniappe, marketing, moment of truth, optimal conditions, perception, positive referral, process, purple goldfish, repeat business, repeatable, restaurant customer service, retail service, social media, sparkpoint, strategy, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

20
Jan
2011

why do you social media?

2 Comments

I have almost 800 friends on my persoanl Facebook page, over 300 fans on my business fanpage and close to 1500 followers on Twitter…not huge numbers, but respectable. Of those 2600 friends, fans and followers, 75 percent consists of retail, blogs, restaurants, services, entertainment, career connections and news sources.

Every day I read about what is for sale, what the economy is doing, how to run my business, what time happy hour is, what the special is tonight, why bedbugs are making a comeback, how to train my dog and the latest top 10 list about something.
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I comment. I engage. I ask questions. I like. I share. I tweet. I retweet. I post. I suggest. I repost…and over and over.
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Oh, and I also schedule updates to post later. I do this to make good use of my time and share information on a wide variety of topics that interest me and my friends and followers. I am proud to say that 99.4 percent of the time, I am available to ENGAGE with friends, fans and followers when the post goes live because that is the point of social media.

So why do I Social Media?

From a professional level (for my business and for my clients): to build relationships and to understand the root causes of customer sentiment and behavior in order to prioritize improvements that enhance each customer’s experience.

Listen
Know your customers
Care about your customers
Evolve with your customers

From a personal level: to create relationships, to support those I believe in, to stay connected with my past, to build my future and to find out what the special is tonight….because after all, food is high on my list of priorities.

Why do you Social Media?

Tags: align, angry customer, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, empower, engage, Experience, experience exemplified, feedback, happy customer, ice cream, journey, listen, moment of truth, optimal conditions, perception, positive referral, process, repeat business, restaurant customer service, social media, sparkpoint, strategy, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Social Media

14
Jan
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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In 1902, Mose Iacino’s family came to Colorado from Grimaldi, Italy, in search of a better life. Young Mose had a mind full of ideas, an entrepreneurial spirit and an appreciation for quality seafood.
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In 1918, Mose Iacino, age 16, set out to bring fresh seafood from Seattle to the people of Denver and the surrounding area and created Seattle Fish Company. Although much has changed since that time, Seattle Fish Company remains a family-run business, where Mose’s spirit of innovation, dedication and service lives on.

Mose developed a system for transporting fresh seafood to the landlocked state of Colorado. It entailed packing fresh fish in sawdust and ice, and shipping the goods by railcar from Seattle. At each train stop, the ice was replenished to keep the seafood fresh. Denver citizens flocked to his stall inside his uncle’s shop at 1537 Market Street downtown. Little did Mose know that he was launching a career that would last a lifetime.

Today, fresh and frozen seafood is flown into Denver International Airport seven days a week from American coasts and port cities from around the world. The product travels in special shipping containers that maintain the seafood in peak condition.

Mose built a thriving business on ingenuity, customer service and quality seafood. His son, Edward Iacino, carries on the tradition as Chairman and CEO, grandson James Iacino is President and granddaughter Chelsea Iacino is Human Resource Manager.

Today, nearly 100 employees work to deliver their products to more than 650 grocers, restaurants, hotels and caterers, making them one of the largest seafood distributors in the western United States. They are also an active member of several industry organizations that help ensure high quality and sustainable practices. As the region’s largest supplier, they bring value and selection that are second to none — with the personal service of a three-generation, family-owned business. As a certified Marine Stewardship Council supplier, Seattle Fish Co. is committed to protecting the environment and maintaining sustainable practices from catch to consumer.

Visit Seattle Fish Co. on facebook.

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If you have had the pleasure of experiencing a Culinary Connectors tour, please share your experience. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, empower, entrepreneurial spirit, Experience, experience exemplified, experience mapping, family owned, feedback, Friday, happy customer, marine stewardship council, moment of truth, optimal conditions, perception, positive referral, repeat business, repeatable, restaurant customer service, restaurants, seafood, seattle fish, seattle fish co, social media, sparkpoint, strategy, sustainable, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

07
Jan
2011

celebrate friends and fans – 2011

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with their product or service. If you have already interacted with the featured Friday Stance Friend or Fan and have a story to share, please do.

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Culinary Connectors was launched on November 15, 2008 by its president, Becky Creighton, to share the love, passion and excitement of Denver’s culinary world.
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Joining a Culinary Connectors tour is like stepping into the comfortable kitchen of a talented good friend. Experience excellence at the elbow of award-winning chefs in a small intimate group where pomp and pretense is replaced with genuine laughter shared over delicious details and tasty tidbits of expert information. Taste your way across Colorado’s complex cultural heritage from its high-stepping international recognition down to its home-spun roots and warm hearth.

Why Culinary Connectors:

-Learn where to find the freshest seasonal, local and organic produce
-Taste and sample, pair wines, learn the whys-and-hows
-Discover the gourmet shops and local artisans frequented by top chefs
-Sample from purveyors in quaint neighborhoods off the beaten path
-Learn how to meld regional influences into a recipe to make it uniquely yours
-Delight in “backstage access” and candid conversations
-Learn the treasured ingredients that elevate a dish from edible to indelible
-Feed your mind and body, nourish your foodie soul

Culinary Connectors provides behind the scenes culinary tours to Denver, Boulder and Aspen top restaurants, gourmet shops and ethnic markets. Visit www.culinaryconnectors.com for a tour calendar and details.

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Tags: align, analysis, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, culinary, culinary connectors, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, denver chefs, denver restaruants, empower, engage, ethnic markets, expectations, experience exemplified, family owned, foodie, gourmet shops, organic produce, perception, positive referral, process, repeat business, repeatable, restaruant tour, restaurant customer service, social media, sparkpoint, touchpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

31
Dec
2010

celebrate stance friends and fans

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Happy New Year. Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with their product or service. If you have already interacted with the featured Friday Stance Friend or Fan and have a story to share, please do.

Today we take a look back at the Stance Friends and Fans featured in 2010.
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It started in October with Newberry Brothers Greenhouse and Florists, a family owned and operated Colorado company started over 60 years ago that specializes in custom floral design, greenhouse plants and gourmet Colorado-Proud gift baskets.
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Also in October we featured kuulture, a family owned frozen yogurt store in lower downtown Denver.

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A newbie to facebook and twitter but not to the mortgage industry, G&S Mortgage, a Denver-based mortgage company owned by George Gore III, my brother.
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In November we welcomed SooperTramp, Trendy Dog Collars and Leashes for your Canine Sooperstar started in 2009 by Suzie Brown.

Our first featured sports team was The Denver Browns, an organization founded in 2006 by Gino Grasso and managed by Matthew Repplinger with the goal of developing amateur baseball players starting with Little Leaguers to Big Leaguers.

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And last, but certainly not least, Stance featured Eric Elkins, author, business owner, dad, single man about town and lover of food and drink.
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Stance supports locally owned small businesses that provide the optimal customer experience to each of their customers. They are all unique in their offerings, and I hope you support them as well. Cheers to all and I look forward to sharing in 2011.

If you have done business with any of the Stance Friends and Fans, please share your experience. If not, visit them today. I look forward to hearing about it and sharing your experience with other Stance Friends and Fans.

Tags: align, benchmark, brand promise, cem, change agent, customer centric, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer service, employee training, empower, expectations, Experience, optimal conditions, positive referral, process, repeat business, repeatable, retail service, sparkpoint, strategy, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

10
Dec
2010

celebrate stance friends and fans

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Fridays are for celebrating Stance Friends and Fans. I encourage you to visit their facebook page, website or place of business and tell Stance about your experience with their product or service. If you have already interacted with the featured Friday Stance Friend or Fan and have a story to share, please do.

Today we celebrate Eric Elkins, author, business owner, dad, single man about town and lover of food and drink.
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Eric lives in Denver with his super-cool daughter and his super-annoying cat. He used to be a scientist…he used to be a cook in restaurants…he was once an elementary school teacher…then he was a youth content editor at The Denver Post..

Now he has his own company where he plays on his computer all day. At WideFoc.us, he specializes in helping businesses with social media tools like blogs, forums, Facebook and Twitter. He also writes about being a single dad at DatingDad.com. And don’t forget his book Ray, reflected, a young adult/middle grades novel based in Santa Cruz, CA.

You can find Eric a number of ways. Connect with Eric. Buy his book. Pick his brain. Enjoy a perfect martini. He has something to offer everyone.

Tags: brand promise, change agent, colorado author, customer experience, customer feedback, empower, engage, expectations, Experience, experience exemplified, experience mapping, family owned, foodie, Friday, novel, retail service, social media, sparkpoint, word of mouth
Posted in Celebrate Stance Friends and Fans

Posts Tagged ‘change agent’

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