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Many deserve to fail

According to the most recent American Express Open Small Business Monitor survey (that was a mouthful), 17 percent of small-business owners believe they are at risk of going out of business in the next six months (and that from patently optimistic people). They cite the economy as the reason (no surprise). In addition, close to one third said the recession "has caused them to question their decision to become an entrepreneur."

"The economy." "The recession." "Obama." Whatever? Here's what should have business owners and leaders questioning their business decisions: their intentions and their execution. The days of going into business to making a killing (or simply to make a living) are long, long gone. Today, you do it because you love what you do. And you do it because helping people, making them happy and improving their lives turns you on.

Here's a story that someone recently shared with me. It's long, but an ethnographer's dream (and a cautionary tale for many):

"My day started like any other; I went to the gym and then headed off to the dreaded grocery store to spend yet another few hundred dollars. I approached the pre-made cookie dough aisle and was faced with a dilemma: Do I purchase the Toll House cookie dough, or do I purchase a cookie dough from a virtually unknown company called Immaculate Baking? Sure, the Toll House cookie dough contained preservatives and ingredients I had never heard of before, but the dough was almost $2 less expensive than the dough offered by this strange sounding company called Immaculate Baking.

I was intrigued by the Immaculate Baking packaging because I saw a tag line which read, 'Cookies with a Cause.' I proceeded to read the packaging and discovered that Immaculate makes its cookie dough without using any artificial ingredients, preservatives or trans fats. Also, the company supports the arts, a passion of mine. Sounded good to me, especially given the fact that I'm a Mom and I like to make sure that my three children eat things that are free from most of the junk that is found in many foods products.

I purchased the Immaculate dough, brought it home and baked up some yummy cookies for dessert that evening. Well, the cookies were a hit and I felt good about the fact that I had given my family a dessert which was not loaded with preservatives and artificial colors and flavors!

I decided that I would send a quick email to the Immaculate Baking Company as a means of letting them know just how much I enjoyed their cookies. I sent the email to the company on a Thursday and I received a personalized response the very next day! The woman who responded mentioned how pleased she was that I had enjoyed the cookies and offered to send me a coupon in the mail if I would be kind enough to provide my address.

Long story short, I received a stack of coupons for FREE cookie dough in the mail in a matter of days. And not only did the coupons arrive quickly, but they were sent in a lovely card which was hand-written and addressed to me.  Rather impressive service for a small cookie company!

Needless to say, I am a big fan of the Immaculate Baking Company. Not necessarily because their cookies were so tasty, and not necessarily due to the fact that the cookies are free from preservatives. Rather, I am a fan because the company validated me as a person.  More importantly, the company treated me as an individual and acknowledged that I have feelings (i.e. the company wished me 'Happy baking with your children' in the card; they acknowledged that I dislike preservatives; etc.).

Now, on the other hand, I purchased some cereal from a company called Me & Goji a couple of months ago, and I was very pleased with the product, the online experience and the shipping time. And I didn't mind paying a ridiculous amount for the cereal (I paid about $25). The Me & Goji company allows customers to make their own cereal online and then the custom made cereal is shipped to the customer.

Being a cereal lover, I was pleased enough with my experience and the product to drop an email to Me & Goji. To this day, I have not heard a word back from Me & Goji. I understand that people are busy and not every company has the luxury of responding specifically to every email that comes their way. However, look at the real difference it can make when a company does take the time to make a customer feel important.  

I have no interest in purchasing cereal from Me & Goji again, mostly due to the fact that they ignored me! 'Hey, wait a minute Me & Goji. I spent over $25 on some lousy cereal and you can't even take the time to quickly respond to an email?' Yet, I spend $4 on cookie dough and that company made me feel like a million bucks! It makes me wonder whether Me & Goji really cares about their customers, or whether they have another set of priorities."

This is not a story about customer service, although it could be a story about the perils of technology. Rather, it's a story about intent, strategy, execution, and value. It's a story about expectations and feelings. It's a story about branding.

Posted October 2, 2009
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