The Starbucks Experience - Part Three

Principle # 3 - Surprise and Delight

The surprise and delight concept revolves around the fact that today's customer is always looking for the surprise factor, or something that causes a product to standout. As the book puts it, "Customers have developed a seemingly insatiable desire for the unique and amazing. Customers will thumb their noses at anything that does not blow them away." The example of the popularity of Cracker Jacks in the early 1900s paints a good picture. When did a box of carmel popcorn and peanuts become so popular? Their sales and profit dramatically increased when the "surprise toy" was placed in each box. The consistency of the popcorn and peanuts created delight but customers paid the money to get that feeling of surprise.

How does this apply to campus life and fraternity life? Well look at how colleges and universities have adapted to the surprise factor when it comes to their residence halls and living quarters. What used to be sufficient and the standard (room, roomate, desk, closet, floor bathroom, cafeteria) has turned into all of this plus suite syle living, coffee shops downstairs, elaborate rec rooms, enhanced dining options, and living/learning atmospheres. Some schools are even throwing in the free labtop and iPod. To compete, schools have to add this surprise factor. I don't know if I've been to a college/university in the past few years that hasn't had new resident halls being built or enhanced. If they don't, students go elsewhere. They want the surprise factor.

How is this affecting Greek life? Well first and foremost, campus residence halls are making fraternity houses look like dumps, but even more importantly, the programming and opportunities that campuses are surprising their students with is surpasing what many fraternities have to offer. Good chapters are adapting to offer even more, average chapters are having to make the decision to adapt or die, and poor chapters are becoming an afterthought.

Starbucks realizes that many companies focus too much on the basic ingredients and not enough on adding that extra something that differentiates them from their competition. I realized while reading this book that I personally have been affected by the Starbucks "surprise factor" twice. When returning from lunch in Oxford one day, I passed the store to see an employee outside dishing up free scoops of Starbucks ice cream. Little did I know that they were doing this nationwide. Another time, I was at USC in Los Angeles and was looking for the Starbucks mug that they sold with the LA skyline on it. They didn't have it, but when I asked an employee whether or not they had anymore, she said no, but if you don't mind having a once-used mug, you can HAVE mine. She walked to the back, grabbed her personal mug, washed it, and gave it to me for free. I was shocked.

Is your chapter bringing delight to those that come into contact with you? Predictability (constantly being close to the top in GPA on campus, knowing that your chapter will be involved on campuses and in Greek activities), consistency (continuously bringing on new members that will be great additions, producing alumni that will give back to the campus and Fraternity), ritual (properly conducting Ritual at necessary times), routine (keeping your calendar full through planning, being prompt with expectations from the campus/general headquarters), community (building strong ties between brothers and others on campus), and service (constantly turning heads through community service and philanthropic events) are key to providing delight. This is what fraternities are supposed to do.

Surprise comes when you further this success by planning or spontaneously doing things that surprise others. Try a few of these.

1. Mark down every sorority's Founders Day on your calendar? Send a card/flowers to them on this date.

2. Do something special for those who are graduating. I bet they'll remember it when they start to make a few bucks.

3. Send a letter to your new member's parents to welcome them to the Phi Delt family.

4. Contact each alumus that has the same last two digits of your Bond number to introduce yourself and to update them on how the chapter is doing. (For example - my Bond number 1645 - I would contact 1545, 1445, 1345, etc.)

5. Recognize and award faculty members of the year at the chapter's scholarship dinner.

6. Give a new member (or any member for that matter) a discount on dues if he brings someone in to the Fraternity.

7. Mark down the birthdays of key individuals on your campus (president, greek advisor, Athletic Director) and send them a card.

8. Schedule a date for the entire chapter to go support an athletic event that generally does not have many supporters.

9. Pick a few events or programs on campus to attend and get the majority of the chapter to show up in suits.

10. Sit in the front of the class every time you're wearing your letters.

It's not diffucult to surprise someone, and you'll be amazed to see how it affects your reputation and success on campus.

The Starbucks Experience - Part Two

Principle # 2 - Everything Matters

Back to business. Starbuck's second guiding principle says that "everything matters." Starbucks, like Disney, is so committed to creating an experience once you enter a store that they pay attention to every small detail that could have an effect on someone's experience. Starbucks leaders understand that their successful ship can go down if they fail to take care of both the "below-deck" (unseen aspects) and "above-deck"(customer-facing) components of the customer experience. As unfair as it may seem, in the world of business everything and everyone matters. A small detail is generally the difference between success and failure. Failure or a neglect to details may cause displeasure which will cause customers to find someplace else to take their business.

The same thoughts apply to fraternities. Everything and everyone matters. Well, if you want to be a great chapter it does. If you don't want to be a great chapter, you'll blow off the following things that some say don't matter:

1) The chapter's bylaws

2) The historian position

3) Officer Transitions

4) Attendance at chapter meetings or events

5) A positive relationship with your Greek advisor

6) Trying to help that guy in the chapter whose BAC is generally higher than his GPA.

7) Periodically notifying your alumni base and GHQ with the chapter's recent successes.

8) The chaplain's position

9) Common ettiquette at dinners or in everyday circumstances when guests are present.

10) Ritual

The book also goes on to talk about the quality of Starbuck's product. Their product is not only the coffee, but the facility, the furniture, the music, the lights, the retail merchandise, their employees, and their food. The experience can be ruined if their coffee is cold, if the building is not shaped in a way condusive to meetings, if the furniture is not comfortable for doing homework, if the music is too loud or includes profane language, if the lights are too low or too bright, if their employees are not well-trained, or if their food does not rotate after a certain period of time. Their belief - You can never cut corners on quality because there is no way to hide poor quality. Any of these sound familiar.

1. This guy has a 2.3 GPA, but we'll take him cause he's a good guy.

2. Let's just send out this alumni newsletter via email, because it's easier and it will cost less.

3. We're having an "unofficial" meeting tonight, so we don't need to do Ritual.

4. We don't need to create a budget, but we do need to charge less than everyone else. (If you ever have someone saying that you should charge the least dues of any fraternity on campus, tell them to go buy two blenders (or any household appliance); the cheapest one you can buy and one that is middle of the road priced; see how long they last) Comprende?

5. Let's bid that guy because he's "social." Can't pay dues, get's horrible grades, won't show up to anything but a social event.

Everything matters... People will recognize those important details that you fail to recognize yourself.

The Starbucks Experience

On all of our expansion projects, we seem to find ourselves at Starbucks interviewing potential Founding Fathers for the chapter. It's a great location to have conversations, plus it has coffee, food, music, and internet access. When browsing around the local Barnes & Noble, I ran into this book. I love reading up on corporate strategy and how they create core competencies to stand out. When reading these types of books, my mind always races about how we apply many of these principles to Phi Delta Theta. Looking at our operations in a business sense can allow all of us to learn about where we need to go. The Starbucks experince lays out five key principles that they follow on an everyday basis. I'm going to try to lay them out, one principle at a time, and relate them to Fraternity operations.

Principle # 1 - Make It Your Own

Starbucks encourages its employees to "make it their own" through what they call the "five ways of being". If you are a vistor to Starbucks, you'll notice that every employee "or partner as they call it" has great pride in their job, because they are each empowered to improve the organization as a whole.

Be Welcoming - The book explains how Starbucks' "partners" are always trying to forge a bond that invites customers back to visit again and again. Is your chapter doing this? If not, no wonder why potential new members and alumni show up and never come back. People want to feel welcome both through appearance of the location and through the actions of individuals who are a part of the organization.

1. Is your facility maintained well enough to make people feel welcome inside of it?
2. Do you take time to welcome alumni, parents, and other guests when they are around?
3. When potential new members are around, do you huddle around your brothers and stay in your comfort zone rather than welcoming guests.
4. Are people reluctant to approach your chapter?

Be Genuine - Starbucks does a great job of caring about their customers. You may notice that their "partners" call you by name, listen to your needs, and respond to feedback. This genuine feeling that their "partners" portray causes many of us to come back often.

1. Are you genuine and truthful about joining Phi Delta Theta with potential new members?
2. Do you take time to listen to their concerns and needs, or do you treat every individual the same?
3. Do you make an effort to connect with potential new members prior to pitching the Fraternity?

Be Considerate - Starbucks explains being considerate as being more than polite. It mentions that you must be mindful of needs. Yes, being polite is important, but without figuring out the needs of their customer, your not being considerate.

1. Are you considerate to your neighbors, other Greeks, non-Greeks, parents, administration, etc?
2. Are you considerate to those people who look after your well-being? (i.e. Greek advisor, chapter advisers, consultatns, GHQ)

Be Knowledgable - Try this out. Go into a Starbucks and ask about the details of one of thier products. You'll be amazed how knowledgable the "partners" are about what their selling. Why? Because they train the hell out of them. I am always amused when I ask our members about the benefits of joining Phi Delta Theta. Number 1 answer? The brotherhood... Well, no crap, every other chapter is saying the same thing.

1. Do all of your members know the local benefits of joining your chapter?
2. Are all of you members knowledgable of the initiatives and benefits of being a part of the General Fraternity?
3. Do you train your members on how to explain these benefits to potential new members?
4. Do your members know the rebuttal to common concerns to new members joining?

Be Involved - We all had or have those members who are no more than warm bodies. The old saying "You're only as strong as your weakest link" is so true in Fraternity life. Starbucks "partners" are very involved in their local store, the corporations initiative, their local community, and the common business world.

1. Are all of your members involved in your chapter's operations? If not, sit down with them to why not, or get rid of them.
2. Are all of your members involved in bringing new ideas to the table and moving your chapter forward?
3. Are your members involved in the General Fraternity's programs and offerings? (i.e. - conferences, the Accolade, PDT Daily, Phi Delt Circle, etc.)
4. Do your members involve themselves in what the Greek community has to offer, or do they stay within the walls of Phi Delta Theta?
5. Do your members involve themselves in the local community?

If you're not making the Phi Delta experience your own, why are you even involved?

A Year and a Half Later

With all of the new technological advancements the Fraternity is making and the introduction of the Phi Delt Circle, I was prompted to get this blog going again. As you can see, my last post was in May of 2005. The demands of life must have caught up to me, but as I logged back on for the first time in a long time, it was fun to re-read my experiences as a Leadership Consultant.

The Fraternity continues to provide great travel experiences for me, and I figured it would be good to begin documenting everything again. Posting this blog on the Phi Delt Circle will be a great venue for those who want to get an inside look at life as an employee of Phi Delta Theta. We kindhearted people at GHQ get a bad name for ridiculous reasons sometimes, so I hope my posts will allow you to put a personality to the face that comes through on emails, or a voice over the phone, or an obnoxious picture of the Steve Good bobblehead (It was a gift by the way).

I can just see it, in another 2 years, I'll be doing the exact same, loggin back on, kicking myself for slacking. In the meantime, enjoy!

And Down the Stretch They Come

A bunch of us went to the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby this past weekend and had a blast. It is definitely a one time experience everybody needs to go to, but there is no middle ground. You're either filthy rich, dressed up, wearing a big hat, and paying tons of money for a nice seat or else you're filty poor, in cargo short, packed in the infield, drunk, and worn out from the days events. You have probably guessed already that I was not one of those in the nice seats. Tickets cost $40, but it was well worth it. The infield is a giant party and throughout the day there were 12 horse races. I only bet on three, but I thought betting on "Greater Good" to win the Derby was a calling for me. Boy was I wrong. I don't know what place he finished, but he definitely became known as "Not so Good" or "A Waste of Money" or "Seabuscuits Wicked Stepson" to me. We ended up staying at one of our Past Presidents of General Council's House. He was a great host, and introduced us all to the mint juleps on Friday night. What a great drink, but I soon realized that you arent' supposed to eat the mint leaf. Although my breath was fresh for a long time, it didn't settle to well in my stomach. There is quite the wide array of characters at the event, and I saw people from Super Heroes to topless women doing cheerleading stunts. The latter definitely took some planning and practice. We met up with two of Tillie's sorority sister and their boyfriends, who were also from Iowa. It was great to finally be able to hang out with Iowans again. The day was a great time, but I was definitely worn out after the festivities. Hopefully, we'll get back again next year and my luck will be better.

Wearing Down the Semester

So my first year on the road as a Leadership Consultant for Phi Delta Theta is winding down. I'm definitely ready for four months in the office and to be able to recharge my battery before next year. Next year I will be doing something a little bit different but remaining with the Fraternity. I will be heading up our expansion efforts all around the nation and Canada. I enjoy working with our newest interest groups and colonies because you get to do more education. The guys are much more motivated and you see that passion in their eye about starting a Phi Delt chapter at their respective chapter. I have a week left on the road, but am getting closer to Oxford by the minute. I'll be at Kent State and Akron next week and then back to the office. I'm excited to bring in three new consultants and be able to see how they adapt to the position. I can't even explain the experience I have already had, and I do not regret one minute of it. I've been able to work for an organization I believe in 100%, travel the country, help other succeed, network with many great alumni, and catch up with old chapter brothers and friends. These are only a few things. I remember taking this position and getting grief from some people about the job. Why the hell would you want to work for the Fraternity? You only make ***** amount of dollars and they'll wear you out. You could make so much more money elsewhere. Fraternities are for college, grow up and get a real job. These people are those who will never get out of Iowa and see the world and I feel sorry for them. The things I've learned about myself in one year have been amazing, and I can feel myself maturing. I will always have a passion for this Fraternity because it has given me so much. One person that has definitely helped me the most throughout the year (besides family) has been my lovely girlfriend Tillie. I would probably be insane if it wasn't for her. It's been great, becuase we are able to vent to each other about everything. She's been my rock on the road, and I love her for that. Anyways, that's my mushy rant for the night. My advice for anyone who reads this is to get out and see the world. There is so much to see, and take advantage of being young. If you're old, retire and buy an RV.

The Former Home of Cal Ripken Jr.

Being a former Balitmore Oriole and still a big Cal Ripken Jr. fan, I was very excited for my first trip to Camden Yards. It would be my first time, and I have great memories of Cal's consecutive game streak being counted down on the warehouses in right field. They know how to do it at Camden Yards. Once you get into the outfield, the street in between the warehouse and field is filled with vendors, food stands, souveniers, bars, etc. What a great time. The only thing you have to be careful with is foul balls. Foul balls coming over the right field come directly into the traffic on this street, and is actually pretty dangerous. The Orioles were playing the Yankees and the place was packed. We took our seat in the outfield and got roasted by the sun throughout the afternoon. I'm always amazed at the fan base that the Yankees bring to games. Every time I've seen the Yankees (home or not) there are tons of fans. How can you like a team that buys their titles? Anyways, the Orioles won and I considered myself to be the lucky gem at each of the games I saw. At all five games I've seen this year the home team has won. Maybe I should fly to Chicago and help out the Cubs. The weekend was great, but wasn't over for me. I had to travel about 4 hours across the Allegheny Mountains to Washington & Jefferson College. Just another day. The semester is winding down, and I'm excited to be back in the office for the summer.

PNC Park - Pittsburgh

Last Friday started my baseball weekend in a great way. I finished up my visit to Robert Morris University and drove into Pittsburgh to meet Chris Brussalis for the Pirates/Cubs game. Chris is one of our best volunteers for Phi Delt and he has been very hospitable to me during my travels. His seats at the park were amazing. Right above home plate with a great club type place in the vending area. There were pool tables, restaurants, etc. PNC Park is very new and the outfield opens up to the Pittsburgh skyline. The skyline is awesome and Pittsburgh's legendary bridges make it very neat. Unfortunately, I had to leave early because I had to drive three and a half hours to Gettysburg, PA that night. Life on the road! Driving to Gettyburgh was interesting. I must have eaten something at the ballpark that caused me to stop at the first three service stations off the turnpike on my travels to use the facilities. And let's just say I wasn't stopping to get something to drink. Along my way to Gettysburg I had to drive a very narrow highway through the Blue Ridge Mountains. It would have been a great drive in the sunlight, but late at night with the only building you see being bars was quite scary. I arrived at Gettysburg tired and ready for bed.

Vacation in D.C.

Tillie and arrived in D.C. late on Saturday night and checked into the JW Marriott, which is literally a block from the White House. For all of you who travel, check out priceline.com. I've been able to book amazing hotels for very cheap prices. The next day in D.C. we walked around and saw all the main sights. My parents always tried to take us to D.C. for vacation as kids, but Anne and I never wanted to go there. I was missing out. Despite the high crime rate and ridiculous traffic, D.C. is an amazing place. It is so close to so many other cities, and the monuments and attractions are neverending. We picked two great day to be there as the Cherry Blossom Festival was going on. Right about this time every year the cherry blossom trees bloom, and the Tidal Basin area of D.C. is absolutely gorgeous. People were everywhere, and the weather was amazing. We finally got pretty worn out and traveled up to Columbia, Maryland to stay with Bronk and Jess Harms. Bronk is a chapter brother of mine, and it was great to see he and Jess, along with their new Boxer Poncha. I would love to live out in this area, but property is so expensive. You definitely pay for all of the opportunities in the area. The next morning Tillie and I woke up and traveled to Annapolis, Maryland (the home of the Naval Academy) Annapolis is a neat town and we took a boat cruise to see the harbor that it lies on. From Annapolis, we drove to Mount Vernon, the retirement home of George Washington. The estate is huge and it would take a long time to see everything. It's very odd to see old slave houses and how they were used to do much work. I'm not used to seeing that stuff in Iowa. We ended up the day back in D.C. walking the Mall area and going to Captiol Hill. I'm amazed by the security in that area. Bronk met Tillie and I at the MCI center to see the Wizards take on the Milwaukee Bucks. Not the best game, but I'm able to check that venue off of my list. Overall, the vacation was awesome and it was great to see Tillie, who I don't see enough on my travels.

Vacation with Tillie in NYC

Last weekend, I was able to spend a few days with Tillie on the east coast. She flew from Lansing, Michigan to Newburgh, New York where I picked her up. We stayed with Joe Wechsler, a former consultant, on Friday night in Greenwich, CT. For all of you that have not heard to Greenwich, it is a very affluent area and the properties in that city are amazing but ridiculously priced. Joe is doing contracting work and showed us the house he's been working on. It was quite impressive, and I couldn't believe the value of the property. We woke up early on Saturday and drove into NYC. Driving in the city feels like your in a video game and is quite hectic. It was an experience in itself. The day was jammed packed as we walked from lower Manhatten (Wall Street) to Times Square. It was a heck of a walk, but we were able to see many different areas of the city. From Times Square we took the subway out to Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is quite the experience, and it's always fun to watch the Yankees, love em or hate em. Our seats were in the upper deck right behind the plate. (Great view) Randy Johnson pitched for the Yankees, but did not have a very good game. From the game we took the subway back to Central Park and Rockefeller Center. What a great park! We finished up the day by driving to Washington D.C. (I told you it was a jammed packed day)