The other night I was perusing the CNBC website, hoping to find an article or picture that would help inspire me to write this article, when I stumbled upon a blog titled “How I Made My Millions: Important Lessons Learned by Earl Kluft”. Needless to say, this intrigued me – I would like to make a million dollars. I’d also like Aegis to make a million dollars. I assumed the lovely, intelligent, and wealthy Mr. Kluft must be involved in one of the latest technology related inventions- perhaps he was hobnobbing with Zuckerberg and Jobs, and scooped up the latest big idea. I was wrong. Earl Kluft made his millions making mattresses. And no, he’s not the owner of Sealy, Serta, Simmons or Stearns. So how did this guy do it? And how are mattresses the topic of a technology newsletter? Well, your burning questions are about to be answered, my friends…
Earl Kluft, a third generation mattress maker, began his career in 1963 with the goal of creating high quality mattresses using the best craftsmanship available. Although his skill set is far removed from the world of computers, information technology and servers, his advice is important to every business owner providing a product or service and every individual who is seeking services from a company or organization. According to Kluft, there are 7 rules you should follow when starting a business, and 4 of those 7 really stuck with me. They are as follows:
1. Have a passion.
2. Think of your customers first.
3. Exceed Expectations.
4. Get the word out.
These 4 points can apply to anyone and to any organization. If you’re a business owner, you know that passion leads to innovation, creativity and a positive work environment. These are the types of things your organization should be doing to stay at the top of your game, especially in this economy. And if you’re an employee, you need to be sure you’re working for an organization that you respect and in a position that you care about. So whether you’re making mattresses or coming up with cloud computing options, be sure you’re giving it your all. Remember that without passion you will never rise above mediocrity.
In my opinion, customer service is the true differentiator. You can have two identical products for the same price but what makes them unique is the service you receive when you go to purchase the item or need support. If the product breaks and you have to spend 10 minutes dealing with an automated voice machine, 30 minutes on hold and then pay for return shipping, you’re not going to be happy. In fact, you might even spend more money on the same product just to avoid this hassle! So while you may be in the business of fixing cars or baking cakes, you are always in the business of customer service. If you want to be on top, take care of your customers first.
Some of you may have heard the phrase “going the extra mile” – doing more than the minimum required for the task at hand. Dairy Queen has recently embraced this idea in their latest series of commercials. A suave looking gentleman comes out and says “at Dairy Queen we don’t stop at good enough. We don’t just give you a birthday cake, we give you irresistible fudge and crunch between layers of vanilla and chocolate soft serve. And we don’t just blow bubbles, we blow bubbles with kittens inside of them. Because at Dairy Queen, good isn’t good enough.” We should all take on this mantra. While we can’t give away kittens to everyone, we can take that extra step to exceed expectations, whether it’s staying a few minutes late to get that proposal done, or taking 5 minutes to follow up with a customer to ensure they’ve been taken care of to their level of satisfaction. It only takes 1% more effort to be better than the other guy, so make 101% your minimum effort and you’ll be sure to succeed.
Having a great service or product is one thing, but if you want to be profitable, you’ve got to be sure people know about it. Like the famous “Dizzy” Dean (the Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer) once said, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it”. If you are passionate, innovative, customer service driven, and have a good product or service, you need to shout it from the rooftops! Maybe not brag, necessarily, but some 15 second commercials, a Facebook page and a charity golf tournament sponsorship can certainly help remind people about the great work you’re doing.
The reason this article caught my attention is because, here at Aegis, we work hard every day to meet these 4 goals. All of our technicians take pride in their work. We don’t just hire based on talent, we hire people who have passion and talent- those who will work until the job gets done and then, when it’s over, sit down and say “OK, that was good, but here’s a way we can make it even better next time”. It’s that type of attitude that’s needed to take you to the next level. Kluft’s guidelines should be guidelines for everyone because they can be applied to the business owner and the individual.
Earl Kluft, a third generation mattress maker, began his career in 1963 with the goal of creating high quality mattresses using the best craftsmanship available. Although his skill set is far removed from the world of computers, information technology and servers, his advice is important to every business owner providing a product or service and every individual who is seeking services from a company or organization. According to Kluft, there are 7 rules you should follow when starting a business, and 4 of those 7 really stuck with me. They are as follows:
1. Have a passion.
2. Think of your customers first.
3. Exceed Expectations.
4. Get the word out.
These 4 points can apply to anyone and to any organization. If you’re a business owner, you know that passion leads to innovation, creativity and a positive work environment. These are the types of things your organization should be doing to stay at the top of your game, especially in this economy. And if you’re an employee, you need to be sure you’re working for an organization that you respect and in a position that you care about. So whether you’re making mattresses or coming up with cloud computing options, be sure you’re giving it your all. Remember that without passion you will never rise above mediocrity.
In my opinion, customer service is the true differentiator. You can have two identical products for the same price but what makes them unique is the service you receive when you go to purchase the item or need support. If the product breaks and you have to spend 10 minutes dealing with an automated voice machine, 30 minutes on hold and then pay for return shipping, you’re not going to be happy. In fact, you might even spend more money on the same product just to avoid this hassle! So while you may be in the business of fixing cars or baking cakes, you are always in the business of customer service. If you want to be on top, take care of your customers first.
Some of you may have heard the phrase “going the extra mile” – doing more than the minimum required for the task at hand. Dairy Queen has recently embraced this idea in their latest series of commercials. A suave looking gentleman comes out and says “at Dairy Queen we don’t stop at good enough. We don’t just give you a birthday cake, we give you irresistible fudge and crunch between layers of vanilla and chocolate soft serve. And we don’t just blow bubbles, we blow bubbles with kittens inside of them. Because at Dairy Queen, good isn’t good enough.” We should all take on this mantra. While we can’t give away kittens to everyone, we can take that extra step to exceed expectations, whether it’s staying a few minutes late to get that proposal done, or taking 5 minutes to follow up with a customer to ensure they’ve been taken care of to their level of satisfaction. It only takes 1% more effort to be better than the other guy, so make 101% your minimum effort and you’ll be sure to succeed.
Having a great service or product is one thing, but if you want to be profitable, you’ve got to be sure people know about it. Like the famous “Dizzy” Dean (the Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer) once said, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it”. If you are passionate, innovative, customer service driven, and have a good product or service, you need to shout it from the rooftops! Maybe not brag, necessarily, but some 15 second commercials, a Facebook page and a charity golf tournament sponsorship can certainly help remind people about the great work you’re doing.
The reason this article caught my attention is because, here at Aegis, we work hard every day to meet these 4 goals. All of our technicians take pride in their work. We don’t just hire based on talent, we hire people who have passion and talent- those who will work until the job gets done and then, when it’s over, sit down and say “OK, that was good, but here’s a way we can make it even better next time”. It’s that type of attitude that’s needed to take you to the next level. Kluft’s guidelines should be guidelines for everyone because they can be applied to the business owner and the individual.
So what does a third generation, millionaire, mattress maker and a midsized, midtown, IT company have in common? At first glance, not too much, but when you dig a little deeper, I hope you’ll find there’s a whole lot more in common than meets the eye, my friend. A whole lot more than meets the eye…
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