To some folks good service is getting done with a customer - making a deal, signing a contract, closing a sale. I think one of the superpowers of great service is conversing with a customer in order to go beyond just what needs to get done.
At my local grocery store in Verona, WI, they not only employ people to bag your groceries, these folks carry your purchases out to your car. Most often in the evenings when I shop, this job is done by teenagers, in large part, boys. There’s one super young man about 16-years-old who I will call Pete. Now I think Pete does a good job as a bagger - he doesn’t overload the bags, he makes sure the bread doesn’t get squished and the eggs get placed on top - but the thing about Pete that makes him my hero is that he talks to me.
As we make our way out the door into the parking lot toward my car, Pete will ask a question. Sometimes about the weather “What do you like to do outside in the spring?” sometimes about the local college sports team “Can you believe Wisconsin lost?” sometimes it’s a simple “How are you?” - he always pays attention to the answer and makes follow-up conversation. No mumbling, no ‘leave-me-alone’ grunt, but thoughtful enthusiastic answers. I’ve heard about his track practice and trips to Badger games I’ve debated with him about whether or not Favre should retire and if global warming is the reason for such a heavy late snow this past winter; he usually sends me off with something about the topic of our conversation - not just “Have a nice day.” The thing that makes Pete my hero is that he talks with me, not at me. He really makes an effort to be in the moment.
Pete’s job is to get the groceries from the store to my car. His superpower is showing that he cares about me beyond being the customer. I hope I do as well with my conversations with the Lemonade Stand customers.
Technorati Tags: Heroes, customer service, groceries, bag boy, Wisconsin Badgers, Farve
We are happy to announce our Feeling Lucky Grand Prize Winner!
Woo hoo! I’m so excited I got goosebumps when Kim drew out the name!
Technorati Tags: grand prize winner, feeling lucky, wishlist
Junior High gym class. Sweat trickles down my seventh grade face as I scramble backward into the padded wall. A twanging bounce snaps my head to the left; a thumping slap and my eyes dart to the right, but my focus is on the eighth grade giant striding up the middle of the court. His focus is on the lone opponent between him and victory.
Me.
He cocks back his arm; I am frozen in place; all the cheering and jeering fades and I swear I hear the whoosh of a jet plane as the ball sails straight for me. I know I can’t duck. I know I can’t jump. I simply cannot dodge fast enough to avoid Greg Thompson’s bullet.
At the moment of impact I curl my body into a “C” and wrap my arms around the textured rubber, clutching it to my stomach. As I straighten up, extending the red ball in triumph over my head, sound erupts from my teammates as they are freed to join me on the battlefield. Greg stands in disbelief, then shaking his head he walks off the court. This moment I won’t forget. I am the queen of the court. I am the hero.
OW! I am on the ground after being pegged in the legs and side. Well, that’s dodgeball!
If you have memories like this one, you’ll love our newest desktop accessory - Dodge’Em! A great gift for those who have just joined your team or been promoted to the corner office. This fun game can add laughter and fun to any office.
Speaking of laughter, check out this hilarious dodgeball video featuring opponents more intense than Greg Thompson:
Technorati Tags: dodgeball, red rubber ball, Dodge’Em, desktop toy
Kids are gifted with great imagination. I think because they are so full of hope and faith, it is easy for them to believe in a multitude of possibilities even though they 
have no tangible evidence to support them. They love the idea of magic people, secret treasures, and mysterious places - like leprechauns with pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Well, we’re all about helping grown-ups feel more childlike so we thought we’d try to work a little magic. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day we created a promotion at the Lemonade Stand offering our customers a chance at winning their wish list!
It’s not everyday you have the leprechaun (us), giving you a map to the end of the rainbow (place an order & make a wish list), and letting you fill the pot with gold of your choice (up to $200 worth of cool stuff from the Lemonade Stand)!
Do you believe?
One of the questions I get asked is why sales “servant” instead of sales representative? For me, it’s more than just a unique title, it’s a totally different perspective to have a servant’s mentality.
A lot is said about customer service - some of it is good, more often what we hear is not. I think one of the reasons we hear a lot of horror stories about service is because the folks doing the serving don’t have a servant’s mindset. Customer service is set up to be reactionary. So what does it mean to be a sales servant mean?
A servant is defined as: “a person working in the service of another.”
And service is defined as: “work done by one person or group that benefits another.” It’s a bit of circular thinking to be. The Brand Glossary over at Yellow Pencil puts it another way:
Service is something that you do for somebody, or a promise that you make to them (emphasis mine).
What a great perspective to look at service as a promise, an oath, a pledge. With that in mind, here’s my personal Sales Servant pledge:
I Pledge Alligiance to the Customer
of the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand;
and to the mission for which it stands:
Helping grown-ups,
escape adulthood,
and creating better childhoods & second childhoods for all.
Being a sales servant is a whole different mindset - instead of reacting to customer complaints and trying to service problems, we approach every step of customer interaction as an opportunity to serve them - to be wholly committed to their needs.
Simply put, as Chief Sales Servant I am at your service,
whatever you need,
I promise.
Fun items found at The Lemonade Stand that help me “Think Spring” –
1. Magic Bean Wishes - I am fascinated by sprouting seeds - even more amazing, these have words on them!
2. Gummy Worms - Much better than the earth worms brought up from the earth by spring rain - they smell better too!
3. Sweet Pea Candle - I’m not a big floral fan, but I really like this light scent.
4. Priorities Print - One of my all time favorite “Remark”able prints - I love puddle jumping!
5. Mini Hummingbird Feeder - Way cool hummingbird fact: A hummingbird can rotate each of its wings in a circle, allowing them to be the only bird which can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways or sit in sheer space.
6. Test Tube Vase - How cool to see spring blooms floating in the window.
7. Snail Tape Dispenser - Office Memo: Desktops need not be boring.
One of the benefits of having a little brother ten years younger than me, was being able to play with another generation of really cool toys. My brother loved Legos - I thought he’d be a Lego engineer someday - so because of him, when I was fifteen I got to love Legos too.
Something else I love is candy. I like all kinds of candy, in fact it’s hard for me to pick a favorite. Right now I’m excited about speckled malted chocolate eggs and jelly beans!
We’ve just added a line of great old-fashioned candy to the Lemonade Stand. My favorite - and honestly it was hard to pick because there are a lot of great memories in the whole line - is the candy blocks. Check them out and you’ll see why I feel like the best of both worlds landed right on my desk!
Technorati Tags: old fashioned candy, legos, candy blocks, lemonade stand
Little things make a big difference in customer service. As I reflect on stories of my sales servant heroes, I realize their “superpowers” are little things that they do that make the biggest impact on their service.
Judy Ansfield aka the “Gift Basket Lady”, is the owner of Basketree Gifts here in Madison WI. We’ve been partnering with her for a few years now and working with her is excellent. The thing that makes Judy a hero to me is her super ability to pay attention to detail. Here’s the story of how her superpower was revealed to me:
I was in the midst of packaging up multiple Lemonade Stand orders when found myself without a box to fit a pile of goodies. I had plenty of boxes way too small and a fair amount of boxes twice the size or better than I needed. This package was an expedited one — it needed to go out that day, AND it was already 5 pm, AND the post office closed at 5:30. So I called Judy in a near panic and asked if I could buy a box from her. She said of course and I dashed out the door to go pick it up. When I arrived almost literally huffing and puffing, despite the fact that I drove, she had a couple boxes for me to choose from waiting at the front counter. As I pulled out money to purchase the box, she told me not to worry about it and then she handed me a package of chocolate covered cherries, just because she thought I sounded like I needed them. It made my day. And whether or not the chocolate was key to me making it to the post office on time, Judy certainly saved my day.
Judy’s attention to a little detail, how I was feeling, made an impact on me that day. I really appreciated her thoughtfulness. It’s something that is intrinsic to the service she gives. And now I strive to develop my power of observation with all the people I interact with day to day.
Thanks Gift Basket Lady!
Technorati Tags: Heroes, service, chocolate covered cherries, attention to detail
I was thinking, if this were a bricks and mortar store - meaning you could hear a bell ring as you walk through the door into The Lemonade Stand - I’d be there to greet you with “Hey there!” and a smile. I’d be the woman in the baseball cap playing with the Automoblox at a table in the center of the store; I’d be the woman tying a bow on a package wrapped in colorful patterned paper; I’d be the woman at the counter tucking a package of lemonade into your bag before handing you your purchase. This isn’t a bricks and mortar store, but I’m still the woman doing all those things for you here at our Lemonade Stand.
Hey there! 
The winning submission for our February Photo Contest came from Jim Schoberg. Great photo to fit our “Spring” theme. Nicely done Jim!
Could you be our next winner? Go here to find out all the details on how you can win your $20 Gift Certificate.
