What's Your Purple Goldfish? How to Win Customers and Influence Word of Mouth

by Stan Phelps

  3. Miniature shopping carts for the kids [PG #591]

  Trader Joe’s submitted by Jennifer Phelps:

  “TJ’s has kid-sized shopping carts. Great way to keep our two boys busy when we go shopping. They get such a kick out of pushing their own carts.”

  Trader Joe’s was originally submitted to the Project by Amy DeRobertis. In Amy’s words:

  “There’s a fun theme going on here — from Giuseppe Joe’s to Trader Jose’s, the notion of no middle man is seen on its product labels as well as in the mentality of its Hawaiian shirt wearing associates. And the ongoing bevy of free samples at its dedicated sampling stations keeps you interested in the constantly evolving choices and happy rather than devastated when your favorite entree goes missing. There’s bound to be something just as great coming down the pike.”

  Kudos to TJ’s for thinking about the little things for the little ones... convenience makes a big difference.

  4. Repel clamshell casings and wire ties [PG #165]

  Submitted by Adam Brett:

  “Amazon’s frustrating free packaging is a brilliant idea. I’m sure having little ones you have battled the wires before trying to open up a gift.”

  [Notes on the Packaging: The Certified Frustration-Free Package is recyclable and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It's designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging. Products with Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be shipped in their own boxes, without an additional shipping box.]

  5. Reaping the rewards of convenience [PG #716]

  Submitted by James Mayer , a fellow brother from America’s oldest professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi. He recommended TD Bank via a post from Jim Taggart at the blog Changing Winds: {Endnote 122}

  Here is an excerpt:

  As [CEO Ed] Clark expressed in an interview with the Financial Post Magazine:

  The great thing about our model is if I put a branch on a corner in New York City, I know five years later I will have more than 25% of the local business, because at some time in that five years someone will come by at 4:02 pm. Their branch will be closed, they’ll look across at our store, this beautiful store, there will be someone giving dog biscuits to somebody’s dog, they’ll walk in and there’s a greeter that’s unbelievably friendly, and they’ll say, ‘So why am I banking at the guy across the street?’

  On Sundays we send our bankers out to all the small businesses and say, “You’re open, we’re open, and you bank with the bank that’s closed. It’s a very simple concept: Just be open longer and give better service.” Clark also noted, for example, that their branch at 2 Wall Street, which opened five years ago, now has $1 billion in deposits.

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Be open, convenient and give better service. Words to live by.

  6. Curbside service makes pick-up a drive by [PG #306]

  Submitted by Jack Campisi:

  Thai Basil in Greenwich, CT is a Purple Goldfish. Not only do they have great Thai food, but excellent service as well.

  Their lagniappe is the curbside pick-up. They are located on a busy and crowed stretch of road in downtown Greenwich. Parking at dinner time can be a nightmare, and could prevent you from even attempting take-out. Well, have no fear. You can give them your credit card number when you place your order and then give them a call when you are pulling up to the restaurant.

  You pullover and they will run out, hand you your food through your window and let you sign your receipt right in your car. And they always do it with a big smile. In no time you are back home, enjoying a nice meal. (If you go and you like some heat, try the Spicy Fried Rice)

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Thai Basil understands the importance of access and convenience when take-out is concerned. Here they’ve turned a bad parking situation into a positive by running out with the food and your receipt. A little something extra indeed.

  7. Purple Goldfish Swim in Schools [PG #464]

  A school of purple goldfish in the Project comes courtesy of Dan Oltersdorf at Campus Advantage.

  As a former RA (both in undergrad and in graduate school) I especially like number one. Anything you can do to make move in easier goes a long way.

  Taken from his blog post , {Endnote 123} here is Dan’s contribution:

  Thanks to @barrymoltz , I just read the @9INCHMarketing ebook: “ In Search of Your Purple Goldfish ” by Stan Phelps. It is brief and it is worth the read. Unlike my “ Puking Baby Policy ” , the concept of a Purple Goldfish is something that CAN be proceduralized. In fact, that is a key ingredient. A Purple Goldfish is something every customer gets…

  I won’t try to give you the entire concept, but in essence, the “purple goldfish” is something above and beyond that you consistently give to your customer that sets you apart.

  Think of Southwest (your bags fly free), the warm cookies you get every time you check into a DoubleTree Hotel, or for those of you who have ordered from Zappos, their VIP upgrade with free overnight shipping after your second order.

  Phelps contends there is no such thing as “meeting expectations” in customer service anymore. We either fail to meet expectations, or we exceed them. Meeting them is a thing of the past and it is NOT ENOUGH.

  Read the eBook {Endnote 124} and think about what your purple goldfish are. Here are some ideas from some Campus Advantage properties to get you started:

  Move-ins… Having cold water and snacks in the apartments for people as they are moving in. Having a dedicated staff member during the move-ins whose job is simply to hand out ice pops on a hot day.

  Door to door package delivery… instead of making residents come to the front desk, we deliver packages to them at their room or apartment

  Milk & cookie carts during finals week

  Every team member, from CA to porter to GM provides a friendly greeting 100% of the time to any person we encounter on a property, prospect or resident

  Concierge booklet at the front desk with everything from pizza delivery numbers to who to call if you are struggling in your physics class.

  These are just a few to get you started… ask yourself, what will stand out? What will people tell stories about?

  What else are you doing that qualifies as a “purple goldfish?” What else SHOULD you be doing that will make you stand out.

  Chapter 23

  #11 - Special Needs

  “Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer.”

  - Macy’s Motto

  THE EXTRAS FOR THOSE WHO REQUIRE A LITTLE EXTRA

  The 11th of the 12 types of purple goldfish involves handling “special needs.” A little unexpected extra to help your customers who need extra care or attention.

  Let’s look at 7 examples:

  1. Thoughtful and proactive for a customer in need [PG #656]

  Taken from a post by Ty Sullivan {Endnote 125} of Cafe Metro:

  While running one of our contests on a gloomy rainy morning, I noticed one of our followers had posted a picture of herself with the Tweet message saying, “Does this look sad enough?” Curious, I tweeted her, “Not doing the contest today? Why so blue?”

  Turns out her father had passed away the day before and she was unable to return home to attend the funeral due to finances. I had remembered that at one point she had tweeted us questioning why we didn’t carry Honey Nut Cheerios as a cereal selection as is it was her favorite. So I called the store she ordered from regularly and had the manager check her order history to see what she enjoyed ordering on a regular basis.

  From there, we created a small gift basket with her favorite lunch and snacks and right in the center, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and delivered it to her that morning.

  She was so overwhelmed with gratitude she could not stop talking about us on Twitter and even came by the store to hug our manager.

  2. Taking care of a loya
l customer [PG #364]

  Submitted by Jed Langdon from a comment on the post , “ What’s Your Purple Goldfish?” by Kelly Ketelboeter: {Endnote 126}

  Hi Kelly. I promised a Purple Goldfish and here it is, sorry it has taken so long!

  My girlfriend’s father is a HUGE Pizza Express fan and I can now understand why. I’m not sure if you have Pizza Express in the US, but in the UK it is a large Pizza restaurant franchise with over 300 restaurants in the UK (it is called Pizza Marzano in some other countries). He visits his local Pizza Express on average about once a fortnight and is on first name terms with a lot of the staff there. When he walks in the chef usually begins to make his favourite dish, but what is even more impressive is that this is a starter that is no longer on the menu. This is a relationship that has been built up over time through him visiting the restaurant and not because he knows any of the staff, which is often the reason for a customer getting this treatment.

  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend’s father was admitted to hospital (fortunately he is going to be OK) and on hearing about him being in hospital the manager of his local Pizza Express took it upon herself to surprise him with his favourite pizza! She contacted the Pizza Express which was closest to the hospital and asked them to make and deliver the pizza to the hospital, free of charge. This is one of the kindest and most generous acts I have seen from a business, and nobody had expected this sort of thought and effort. Talk about making a customer feel valued, special and delivering service way above and beyond expectations!

  Another great post Kelly, keep up the brilliant work!

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Go above and beyond to help a loyal customer in need.

  3. Allergy friendly becomes a differentiator [PG #690]

  Sarah Gore of STANCE shared an article in the New York Times {Endnote 127} on Hypoallergenic Hotel Rooms at the Hyatt and Fairmont chains.

  Here is an excerpt from the article by Tara Mohn:

  Sneeze Free Zone

  Even die-hard road warriors need a comfortable place to recharge after a long day. But for business travelers with allergies, asthma and other sensitivities, hotel rooms can be rife with dust mites, mold, animal dander and other allergens that set off sneezing, itchy eyes, headaches and sleepless nights.

  Individual hotels have long accommodated guests by cleaning rooms with special products and processes and washing linens in hot water with no or fragrance-free detergent. They have also offered mattress and pillow protectors, rugless rooms and windows that open.

  But now, two hotel chains, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, are taking the service even further by designating permanent allergy-friendly rooms, with things like medical-grade air purifiers and chemical- and fragrance-free bath products.

  Thirty-eight percent of hotels offer some kind of allergy-friendly service in guest rooms, a 14 percent increase in the last two years, according to the 2010 Lodging Survey prepared for the American Hotel and Lodging Association by STR, a hotel research company.

  Hyatt recently announced plans to create hypoallergenic rooms in all of its full-service hotels in North America. The rooms, which will soon total about 2,000 in 125 properties, cost $20 to $30 extra a night and are intended to eliminate up to 98 percent of allergens and irritants. A medical-grade purifier continuously circulates air, Hyatt said.

  “This was a market really underserved,” said Tom Smith, vice president of rooms for Hyatt.

  The number of allergy sufferers is believed to have gone up substantially since the late ’70s, said Dr. Darryl Zeldin, senior investigator and acting clinical director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Roughly half of Americans are sensitive to at least one common allergen. Different testing methods may account for some of the increase, but better hygiene resulting in less exposure to bacteria is also thought to play a role, Dr. Zeldin said.

  Brian Brault, chief executive of Pure Solutions, the company that installs and maintains Hyatt’s hypoallergenic rooms, said more than 200 hotels nationwide, including properties at several major brands, had Pure Solutions rooms, but Hyatt was the first to offer them across its brands. Some hotel conference centers also use the technology, he said.

  Lisa Abbott, a marketing consultant for nonprofit groups in Oakland, Calif., who suffers from multiple chemical sensitivities, has learned the benefits firsthand of good air quality in a hotel room.

  At home, she rarely takes the morning rush hour train, to avoid “breathing in a soup of fumes and fragrances” from deodorant, hair products and freshly laundered clothing. Traveling, she said, has “always been dicey.” But she stayed in one of Hyatt’s new rooms on a recent trip to Chicago. “The air is purer,” she said. “I slept great. I felt energized both days of conferences. It has just completely opened up my travel options.”

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Differentiate yourself by offering that little extra. It doesn’t have to be a “throw-in.” You can go the extra mile and charge a premium for the added value.

  4. Going above and beyond for those with special dietary issues [PG #684]

  Taken from a blog post by Hank Davis {Endnote 128} at the SALT & Pepper Group:

  Faye and I are both pretty big fans of having others do the cooking for us. We eat out a lot and we also order in quite a bit. We experience food service customer service on a very personal level. Unfortunately for Faye, her food allergies make dining out a sometimes, terrible experience. She cannot have anything dairy and she cannot even come close to anything from the onion family. She cannot even have something that has touched a grill that has had an onion on it. This makes things really tough.

  Recently, however, the team at The Rainforest Cafe made it not so tough for her. In fact, they went above and beyond to the point Faye could not wait to get home from her lunch date with a friend to share the great story with me. Here are the five things that happened that absolutely blew her away and made her day at The Rainforest Cafe.

  At The Rainforest Cafe Faye did not have to volunteer her allergies to the server because the server started off with a great question: ”does anybody have any food allergies we should know about?” She did this with a smile and genuine concern for her guests. Typically, Faye has to initiate an awkward and sometimes uncomfortable conversation about her allergies but not at The Rainforest Cafe.

  At The Rainforest Cafe her server actually pointed out, with great care and concern, some specific meal options that might match up with her allergies. She made some really good suggestions which, in our experience, is rare.

  At The Rainforest Cafe the server brought out a separate menu that covered many of the allergy concerns that many of their guests have. This was great and made Faye feel pretty special.

  At The Rainforest Cafe the head chef came out of the kitchen to say hello, introduce himself and see if he could help in any way. He guided Faye through their lunch options, made several specific suggestions and then hand delivered her meal to her after it was prepared. After the meal he came back to check to see how she liked it.

  At The Rainforest Cafe the team took it as a challenge to delight and please my better half and that makes me a Raving Fan (shout out to Ken Blanchard) of The Rainforest Cafe. They loved what they were doing and it made us love their company.

  The bottom line is this: I am talking positively about The Rainforest Cafe, I am planning on going to The Rainforest Cafe again and I am very thankful to The Rainforest Cafe for making Faye’s Day. When she is happy, I am happy and she was definitely happy.

  Great work and thank you!

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: Concerns like food allergies are no small matter to your customer. Go above and beyond to proactively address concerns and demonstrate you care.

  5. Adding a personal touch [PG #685]

  Taken from a tweet by @jenniferpbrown:

  “Sherrie at #Marriott is a rockstar. Remembered I was worried abt waking up on time. Called me herself to make sure I was awake. #custserv”<
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  6. Sweetness for the final approach [PG #780]

  Submitted by @sjlz:

  “ @9INCHmarketing @jackcampisi you guys probably have this #purplegoldfish but the ‘sweets for landing’ at Virgin Atlantic help your ears pop!”

  7. Here’s the Rub: Invest in Your Customers and Watch Your Business Grow [PG #343]

  Submitted by Jake Hillman:

  My wife, Sabina, owns Body Evolution Massage and Wellness Center. As a massage therapist, her basic job is to help people relax and feel better. What most people do not expect is her knack for the unexpected: coming in on Sunday’s to accommodate a client’s schedule; sending home remedies to support healing, often at her expense; calling the next day to follow-up and find out how someone is feeling. Her clientele has grown not from common marketing, but from uncommon service, care and connection.

  Marketing Lagniappe Takeaway: I like the phrase “uncommon marketing.” This type of personal touch beyond the transaction is an investment in your business. It shows you care and spurs customer loyalty.

  Chapter 24

  #12 - Handling Mistakes

  “Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”

  -Donald Porter

  NOBODY IS PERFECT, NOT EVEN A PERFECT STRANGER

  The last type of purple goldfish will seem like an odd addition to the list. In business we are generally conditioned to never admit failure. Let's face it... we all make mistakes. How you deal with them is the real question. It's important to not only correct the problem, but to go above and beyond to make things right.