THE RULES OF CORPORATE CULTURE

                      A Manual for the right mindset at work

                                         by  Judy A. Kaplan

The new dialog for appropriate behavior and attitude towards the customer is actually not new at all.  Although there may be the addition of some tech talk, buzz words or jazzed-up Newt Rockne type pep-talks to psyche up the staff, the truth is the objective of corporations in “service” industries has always been to shock the customer or client with an overwhelmingly accommodating experience.

What does it take to deliver this type of experience?

Here are a list of ground rules that I followed. 

1.    Know your business

2.    Know your job function

3.    Know your product

4.    Know your customer

5.    Know your competition

6.    Know how to be business appropriate

 

1.    Know your business.  What are you selling, supplying, fixing or what services are your delivering?  Learn as much as you can about the industry you are working in. If your company has a cross-training policy, learn as many job functions as possible.  Learn the procedures that are followed; i.e., what to do from the time a customer calls to place an order to the time they call because they did not receive the order, or to thank you for the overnight delivery of their order.

2.    Know your job function. What is it that you do exactly?

          What are your job duties? To know them is to love them.

          If you know what you are responsible for, and learn it        well, you will enjoy it.  And your good work will not go             unnoticed.

3.    Know your product. What need are you meeting that your client can get elsewhere?  What are you doing to give your client something they cannot get elsewhere?

4.    Know your customer. Who buys your stuff?  Who do you render services to? It’s more than just a demographic. Knowing what your customer is like is what is necessary.  It will dictate the type of service.  Casual friendly might work in some business and not in others.  Expectations for an immediate answer or special delivery might be something one customer assumes while another doesn’t need.  A repeat customer is your goal. Once you have them, you try to get to know them and never lose them.

5.    Know your competition. If you can give the level of service that is even higher than your customer expects, then do it. Never make excuses like, “well everyone else called in sick today.”  Just do your absolute best. They can go elsewhere.

6. Know how to be business appropriate. Know how to handle all situations with the correct business demeanor. You have to learn to diffuse a situation….a customer calls and they are upset.  Maybe they are not having a good day, maybe you blew it or something unpreventable happened that compromised your ability to deliver the best service you can.  It doesn’t matter. 

                   

The Color of Attraction

Opposites attract, the saying goes, but in advertising and marketing opposites compete.  Opposite colors, that is. The rule in marketing is you should use the color opposite of your competition. Red and Blue, opposite colors on the color wheel, are the most popular colors used in brand marketing. There’s a whole arsenal of branding, marketing and advertising tactics that are used in order to make your product overall more competitive and attractive to consumers, the most obvious of which is color. Marketers suggest that you figure out what reaction you want to get for your brand from your target consumer and chose a color that impacts on the consumer in that way. Do you want to impress, inspire action, suggest authority or power or imply strength and vitality? 

Advertisers and Marketers suggest competitors use colors directly opposite theirs on the color wheel.

The Psychology of Color

Emotions play a huge role in purchasing. Companies want you to reach that part of the consumer that bypasses the analytical brain.  Color implores us to feel a certain way about the product or about ourselves. It is the vehicle which drives the message to us or brings us to the message. Color affects your perception of a product or brand by evoking  emotions and associations.  You want your product to appeal to a consumer on an instinctive level calling for them react. Color will do that.  

Red vs. Blue

Psychologists have examined the impact of color on the subconscious mind for decades. This is how it works. Colors have a positive or negative impact within 90 seconds of seeing them. Internet ads run only 30 seconds, so that flash of color has to be prominent. The perception of color is determined by how the eye reacts to it. The retinas in the eyes have receptors for color called cone cells. The cone cells measure Red light, Green light, or Blue light.

The two most popular colors are Red and Blue. The eye focuses red light behind the retina so red light appears to be moving towards you, implying energy or calling for action.  Blue light is focused in front of the retina so objects appear to move away from you, invoking calm and dignity. Red suggests strength, excitement, energy, passion, vitality, aggressiveness and commands attention. Psychologically it suggests action. In business it implies boldness and power (remember the power suit women wear). Blue suggests leadership, authority, dignity and security. Psychologically it suggests power. In business it is associated with leadership.

There are many studies, not necessarily relating to marketing, examining how blue and red play a role in overall attitude and behavior.  Red is said to make people work harder and improve memory. Blue can make them more creative, help you think out-of-the-box. The same study conducted by the University of British Columbia says that Red subconsciously implies dominance.  It certainly does it for the bull, after all.  Red rooms in restaurants are said to make people hungrier and thirstier. Frankly, there are many more studies on the impact of these two colors than I expected.  If I were going to chose one or the other, I’d research them all.

Color: The Other Coke and Pepsi Challenge

Red and Blue played a significant role in the dominance of one of the global soft drink market’s two major brands, Coke and Pepsi.  128 years Coke became the first soft drink in the sweet, dark cola category.  Coca-cola, by being the first in the cola category to take a market position, is now forever identified with the word cola and the word cola will always be associated with Coca-cola or Coke.  When I say cola—you say Coke.    It’s still number one today. Attributable to this was Coke’s utilization of Red as its color choice which was a major decision in their marketing strategy. Pepsi, in second place, uses primarily Blue, but also Red.

Color is so significant the U.S. Trademark law allows companies to register their colors as a trademark. The company must be prove that the color is distinctive in relation to their product and is associated with their product. .  There is a lot to consider if you are using color in advertising or marketing, and everywhere else for that matter.  Something to think about.