March 10, 2011
OPEN Forum Message
Company Culture
Can you recognize signs that your company's culture isn't working? Get advice from the experts on what to look for–and how to fix it.
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Boris Fowler
Successful entrepreneurs know that you have to create a business culture that people will buy into. If you can master that, and make it interesting and unique, you will find that your customers keep coming back, time and again. Many try to create a unique business culture, but not everyone grasps the concept well enough to pull it off.
Case in point – I hardly ever go to Starbucks. Okay, maybe twice a year I stop there. And it’s not that I don’t like the place, but I have a perfectly good coffee machine right in my office, and I happen to love it. But there is more to it than that. Truth be told, I feel uncomfortable when ordering.
The Outsider
The problem I have with feeling uncomfortable at Starbucks is mainly because of the idea that they don’t have small, medium or large. I know, silly, right? Seriously, though, if they did, I could simply walk up, place my order and be on my way. But it is much more involved than that, and I’m not in the “know” when it comes to placing an order there.
I suppose, if you are a Starbucks loyalist, you are already scoffing at me. You’ve mastered the short, tall, grande and venti. And, recently, headlines around the world cheered and jeered as they announced their newest size, the 31-ounce trenta! But it doesn’t stop there. No, the product choices get even more complicated, as they offer such things as triple latte frapacchino, iced, heated, stoked and poked, grande, skinny, low fat, and on, and on!
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Just thinking of all the different fancy-sounding drinks available at that place is exhausting! And I kind of feel left out, because I don’t know the drinks. I don’t know what a skinny caramel macchiato or an iced chai latte with soy is. But, lucky for them, millions of people do! And they keep asking for those tongue-twisting drinks on a continuing basis.
The Lingo
Personally, I find all that insider jargon a bit overwhelming. And since I feel lost, I usually stick with my personal coffee maker. But the jargon works big-time for others, to the tune of nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. While I may not know or feel comfortable with the lingo, it works for a lot of people.
Here is the power – when you have words that uniquely identify you and your brand, your followers will learn the language. And that language makes them feel empowered. It is kind of like a fraternity, in a way. The knowledge of an insider language connects us that much more.
Insider Talk
From Burger King, which has the Whopper and Buck Double, to the Munchkins at Dunkin’ Donuts, language helps to make the culture. And the culture is often half of what people are actually buying into, when they make a purchase. Starbucks has known this for a long time and has used it to their advantage to help propel sales.
When people walk into Starbucks, they are buying a drink. That is the obvious act that they are engaging in. But there is something even deeper that is helping to bring those customers back, each time, something more than the drink itself – they are also buying the entire business culture that comes along with it. The whole thing is a package deal. They feel like they are part of the club and “in the know.”
You can do the same with your business! The trick to using your own language to help build your company culture stems from the words being different. Use words that have to be learned for their meaning. Once you do that, and customers learn them, they will feel like they are part of your company. And that is a great way to start building a strong company.
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Boris Fowler 1 year 2 months and 15 days ago
Great post. I never thought of it this way before, but it is true. And that is the same reason why I do not go to Starbucks. I dont like ordering there, because I do not know the lingo. This kind of thing develops over time, but is crucial in making a brand that people will want to engage.