It’s a good feeling to know that others are actually reading what you write. But it’s a great feeling to engage in a discussion with someone who not only read what you wrote but had insights to share that taught you something new.
I am a big fan of collaboration. And I love the saying that there is no “I” in the word “TEAM.” My saw my friend, Dave, at a recent Chamber event. He told me that he read my most recent Marketing Tip and wanted to share with me how I could take that tip to the next level. I was intrigued and said “of course!”
The blog that Dave was referring to was titled “The Pitching Rotation.” The main message for this post was that many individuals within an organization or company actually “touch” the customer. From the receptionist who answers the phone to the person who handles the invoicing. Similar to the number of pitchers in a baseball game who are involved in securing the win.
Dave noted that it was also equally important to support those who interact with the customer. The example he gave to demonstrate his point involved his time as a restaurant manager. He said that in the kitchen there was a sign that read,
“If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.”
(Jan Carlzon, ex-CEO SAP Group)
Wow. How true that is. In the restaurant business it meant that if a server dropped the entire tray of food, the kitchen’s job was to re-serve the food to the server so the server could bring the food to the customer. We can take this and apply it to our own professional lives, no matter what our role is within a company or organization. This is the extension of the “Pitching Rotation.” There need to be other players on the team to win the game. Likewise, there are many individuals that can play a roll in keeping customer satisfaction high, whether they have direct contact with the customer or not. All roles are equally important.
Keep it relevant.