I would like to share with you a very interesting discovery. I am currently with my family, visiting relatives in Vancouver. A friend invited me and my brother-in-laws out one night. He asked us what we would like to see. He offered to bring us out for ice cream. We were all amused at the thought. 4 grown men going out for ice cream, but he promised to show us something we would never see anywhere else.

We then headed to downtown Vancouver. As we were driving, we noticed that the area starting to become more depressed causing us to wonder where we were really going for ice cream. Then we saw it, on a street corner, a beacon of lights in a dark neighborhood, surrounded by a lot of customers, with signs in multiple languages. There was a very simple slogan that caught everybody’s attention. It said, “218 flavors of ice cream”. 218 flavors, WOW.

The place was full, there really were 218 flavors. The best part was that you were allowed to taste all 218, with the staff happy to serve up sample spoons. The place was very clean , the signs were well placed. The customer experience was amazing, with people lining up to try different flavors. There were exotic flavors like wasabi and curry. There were all fruit flavors that you could think of , as well as very interesting combinations. I found out that they actually have 508 flavors with 218 on site at any given time.

I believe La Casa Gelato located in 1033 Venables street is a super brand. I got a lot of reaction on last week’s column on super brands, most of the reaction centered on the question, is it possible to build your own super brand? Brands take time to build, a super brand takes more time, but it is possible. There are no short cuts towards doing it. Let me share some simple steps on how to start.

P – romise, A brand must promise to deliver “WOW” to the customer and then more importantly, deliver it. In order for your brand to attract attention, you must go for the spectacular. Whether it is in the service, product, pricing, advertising, always go for the “WOW”

E – xceed Expectations. One of the secrets for exceeding expectations is to set expectations low and then exceed them. Can you imagine the simple joy when we are told that something that will take 5 day gets done in three?

R –easons for people to come back. Constantly find reasons for customers to come back. Try to project a can do attitude from all your staff. Or better, have staff that always shows the attitude to serve happily.

F – irst Impressions. It is important that the first impressions the customers get is good. So if your running a store, simple things like keeping the store clean, everything well stocked can go a long way to establishing first impressions.

O – Opportunity to demonstrate. Always look for opportunities to demonstrate your service or product. It establishes a connection immediately with the customer. Turn complaints into an opportunity to show that you listen and care, then provide a solution.

R – emind, call them. If a new customer has bought a product, find time to call them and ask how they like it. Or better, keep a database of their birthdays and find them to call and greet them.

M – Make them your friend. The best way of showing appreciation is to recognize your customers and greet them by name. It shows that you find them important and makes them feel good about you.

If you add all these steps together, it spells out “PERFORM”. The most important step is to perform. Show that you can do it. And then, we are all on our way to building our own super brand story.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .

I once asked a successful entrepreneur on what was the secret of his business. He gave me a puzzling answer, he said, “my lowest paid employee.” I asked him to explain what he meant. He shared with me how his people define his brand. All of his employees must treat customers with same quality and service that they will get from him. The challenge was to ensure that this lesson was exercised all the time, even by his lowest employee. He added, “most times, the customers’ experience with the brand is actually crystallized in the 5 minute conversation with my lowest paid employee. If they get that kind of service at that level, they feel assured that they will get it at all levels.”

Let me recount to you my experience recently with two super brands. I was recently in the market for a mobile phone and have been checking around for the best deal. I was very happy with the opening of branded concept stores of the manufacturers in the malls. My expectations were higher simply due to the fact that this was a brand store. I went into one around lunchtime and started to look around. I noticed that the staff was more interested in having lunch than serving me, the worse part, they were eating in front of me inside the store. Not exactly the customer experience that I was expecting.

I browsed around and was amazed at the features of the new 5 megapixel camera phone. I asked for a feature comparison with the other brands, but the staff did not know. I still ended up buying a phone, banking on the quality of the brand.

Later that day, as I was having lunch, my friend noticed that there was a big sticker in front of the box stating that my phone came with a free Bluetooth headset. We searched but we could not find it. So I rushed back to the store and asked about it. The staff asked each other about it, unsure of the package. When they were able to confirm it, they told me that it was out of stock, that I had to come back for it another day.

But that is not the end of the story. After one and half weeks of using the phone, I started to notice signal anomalies. The phone would register full signal but I could neither receive calls nor text. I brought it back to be checked. The technician said it was a software corruption and would need a software boot. I asked what happened. He replied that it was factory defect. I asked how long would the software installation take? He replied, “2 to 7 days.”

I complained that was too long and would prefer to have my phone replaced, considering that it was supposed to have a warranty. They refused because my one week replacement period had lapsed. To make a long story short, I was very disappointed with my customer experience of the store and of the brand. Because of that, a superbrand in my eyes was reduced to an average brand due to average people.

My second experience was with one of the oldest and most respected restaurants in Cebu. As we were walking by one day, we saw the set menu advertised. It looked delicious, and we decided to try it. We ordered Set A as described in the poster outside. After a while, the food came, but we discovered that it was not set A. We argued with the waiter and finally, I walked with him outside to show him set A. It turned out that they advertised two different “Set A”. The waiter graciously offered to have it replaced. When the replacement arrived, it still was not the one. We went out again and discovered that it was Set B. The waiter again offered to have it replaced. But at this point, we began to hear a loud argument break out in the kitchen. We decided to decline and went elsewhere.

It takes a very long time to build a superbrand, but it takes very little to turn it into a average one to the customer. Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at
stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com .

A lot of businessmen have to believe first before being spurred to action. But there are some who are led to action by Faith. Faith is often mistaken for gut or instinct, it is neither. Faith is defined in the Bible in Hebrews 11:1 as “ being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. “ Let me recount to you this simple story.

A famous acrobat once performed before a small crowd on the roof deck of a tall building. He strung a tightrope from the edge of the building to the opposite edge of the next building. He asked the people present, “Do you believe that I can balance across the tightrope to reach the other side?” “No!” The audience chanted in unison. The acrobat then crossed over to the other side and came back. The audience cheered.

The acrobat then asked, “Do you believe that I can balance across the tightrope to the other side and back blindfolded? “ “No!” The audience chanted excitedly and in unison. The acrobat blindfolded himself then crossed over to the other side and came back. The audience cheered.

The acrobat then asked, “Do you believe that I can balance myself pushing a wheelbarrow across the tightrope to the other side and back blindfolded? “ “No!” The audience screamed in disbelief. The acrobat blindfolded himself then pushed the wheelbarrow across and back. The audience erupted in cheers.

The acrobat the asked again, “Do you believe that I can balance myself pushing a wheelbarrow across the tightrope to the other side and back blindfolded? “ “YES!” The audience cheered. “Do you have faith that I can do it?” “YES!” The audience erupted. “Good, I need a volunteer to sit on the wheelbarrow.” The acrobat responded. Suddenly there was silence. Nobody said anything and all eyes stared at the ground. That is the difference between believing and having Faith.

Having Faith means trusting everything to God. In Isiah 41:10, the Bible says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

What are the characteristics of people who rely on faith in business?

F-Fearless - They are capable of making big decisions. They are courageous and exercise decisive action. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." Colossians 3:23

A-Active – They believe in the power of preparation. They work hard to ensure that they are ready for all eventualities arising from their decisions. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. “ Matthew 7:7

I- Inspired – They believe in the power of prayer. They make it a point to develop the habit of prayer before making decisions. “ ..whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

T-Trusting – They trust God with everything. They are honest in their assessments of themselves and seek to trust and develop a good network of family, friends, co workers that can give true feedback. “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

H-Humility– They have humbled themselves before God and acknowledged that all that they have is His and His alone, and that they are only caretakers of God’s wealth and business. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. “ John 15:5

To start a business, we must believe in ourselves and in our ideas. But in order for the business to grow, we must have faith in ourselves and in our ideas. It is the intensity of our faith that attracts potential partners, employees, customers to believe in us. But it is only our Faith in God that will give us the true meaning of success. Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me atstirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com