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.