by Orvel Ray Wilson

This weekend I traveled with Denise to New Orleans to speak at the City & Regional Magazine Association conference. I was doing break-out sessions on Guerrilla Selling and Guerrilla Marketing with Social Media.

We were nearly next in line to check our bag when a burly ticket agent turned on the crowd and barked, “WHOSE BAG IS THIS?!”

“Mine,” I said, sheepishly raising my hand. I had scooted it under the queuing strap so as not have to carry it an extra 20 feet, and was standing less than 6 feet away.

“YOU HAVE TO ATTEND YOUR BAGGAGE AT ALL TIMES!” he shouted. I was like, SO busted.

“I AM attending it,” I pleaded. “I’m standing RIGHT HERE!” demonstrating that I could almost touch it.

He shouted like a marine drill sergeant, “YOU HAVE TO BE WITHIN ARM’S LENGTH OF YOUR BAG AT ALL TIMES!” Read the rest of this article »

by Todd Hudson

Whenever I’m in Portland, Oregon, my favorite place to shop is a natural foods chain called New Seasons Market. The produce is fresh. The selection is great. But what really sets them apart from every other grocery store is their top-notch customer service.

At New Seasons, there’s always an employee nearby to cheerfully answer a question or help me find an item, whether they’re behind the counter, in the aisle or at the cash register.

And it’s not just at one store. It’s at all nine of them. New Seasons employs 1,700 people. Having run operations for decades myself, I know you don’t get such consistent high performance by accident. What’s their secret? I wondered. Could it have anything to do with training? Read the rest of this article »