Book Club Part Two
I went to my bookshelf to get down “Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service” prior to writing this entry and it wasn’t there! AAAghh! Then I remembered…I had recently shared my personal copy with one of our trade partners who had stopped by to say hello. That’s another thing we do around here–we share books and articles that we find truly resonating. “Zingerman’s” is always atop our need-to-replace-it-again list.
My wife and I met the author, Ari Weinzweig, some twenty years ago–back then he was delivering his awesome baked goods to a market in Toledo, Ohio (now he also does it by mail order). First and foremost, you need to know that Zingerman’s food is absolutely phenomenal! We liked their artisan baked goods so much (in particular chocolate-cherry bread) that we would often drive into Michigan just to get it. Years passed, we moved to North East Ohio, and lost track. Then it happened; a teammate visited Ari’s deli in Ann Arbor and returned with the game-changing book “Zingerman’s.”
Pardon the pun, but we ate it up.
Contained within 120-odd pages are many simple but important recipes that can teach any company exactly how to treat their customers like royalty. Example: there are three Zingerman’s steps to great service:
- Figure out what your customer wants.
- Get it for them accurately, politely, and enthusiastically.
- Go the extra mile for your customer.
Such an uncomplicated, easy to remember formula! They’ve boiled down all the complex theories about customer service to three down-to-earth instructions. When you stir in a team that’s dedicated to providing outstanding customer experiences, you’ve got the winning recipe!
Ari and his team grew that once-small deli into eight different businesses including a training company for those who wish to learn the Zingerman’s magic. And wow, did we ever learn. Every Wayne Homes teammate can now recite these three steps to great service, as well as the five steps for handling a customer complaint (also in the book). More importantly, each of us now adds a bit of fun into every interaction whether among ourselves or with our prospects and our customers. So exactly what can a custom homebuilding company learn from a successful deli in Ann Arbor? Plenty!
To learn more about our customer care, please visit us on the web here!
For a delicious taste of Zingerman’s Deli, visit their website here. You may also find Zingerman’s magic online where you’ll find seminars, workshops, training guides and books!
