Pathways to Success: Products that Inspire

(c) Mag. Gabriel Schandl, CSP, CMC

What is the cucumber doing in the can?

A single Spree cucumber in an aluminum can reminiscent of an energy drink. The new iPhone, beautifully packaged. A mineral water from the brand "Solan de Cabras" in a blue, elegant, and angular bottle. A coffee-scented candle from Nespresso. A table from the solid wood furniture manufacturer Team 7, which already provides a sensual experience when unpacking. This list could go on for a long time. It has to do with products that inspire. Simply because someone thought about the design, about the manufacturing. "Something"? That might be an understatement. Many creative minds are involved in the process of design, development, many good ideas are discarded because there are even better ones, and that's a good thing.

Basic requirement for enthusiasm

Ideally, every product is easy to use, high-quality in processing, and - now here comes the icing on the cake - fun to use, maybe even when unpacking. How many products are there that annoy us because they don't work properly? We then return these, have to find the receipt or invoice, and explain to a more or less friendly lady or gentleman why it's not our fault that "it" doesn't work. And then we buy the more expensive, better model. For the joy of performance, special products and services are needed, presented by special employees.

The bitten apple sets the example

Of course, performance should and can cost something. And companies can keep something of it, otherwise they couldn't fulfill their mission next year and the year after. It doesn't have to be in the billions, as Apple's quarterly profit shows. Speaking of Apple: It seems that someone must have done something right here. The devices themselves have been technically "copied" and even improved by the competition. But the Apple devices simply work. And they are beautiful. That was the drive and vision of Apple's founder and sadly deceased CEO Steve Jobs. Often enough, he sent designs back because they weren't good enough for him. That was probably not easy for the employees either. But the result is convincing. For this reason, there is also a dedicated Apple fan community, to which you belong the moment you acquire one of these products. Beware, this Apple virus may be highly contagious! The principle of excellence is demonstrated here.

The chain of success

It all starts with an excellent product, an idea. The spread, the image, the cult is created by savvy PR and marketing departments, but also by customers who contribute to the company's success when they recognize the benefits for themselves. They become effective brand ambassadors, whose word-of-mouth makes every mailing and glossy catalog look outdated. From this point on, employees come into play: How is the sales process experienced? How are complaints and returns handled? Is someone available on the hotline, and how do they treat me as a customer? Vera Birkenbihl, the "mother" of all trainers, aptly formulated it once: "Every customer contact is a moment of truth." How are these moments perceived and experienced? In the end, our goal must be: to turn customers into fans. With top products, top executives, and top employees. Then the price also doesn't play the role we have all put it in through all sorts of discount actions. Because it's less about the price, but much more about the value we receive. Otherwise, we wouldn't spend 800, 900, or even 1,100 euros on a new iPhone. Or 200 euros on a solid wood chair. Good luck with your future customer contacts and even more success on your path to success, together with your employees! Because more and more often I see and work with teams where this word stands for "Together Everyone Achieves More" instead of "Toll Ein Anderer Machts" (Great, Someone Else Does It). And the latter approach is all the more important in times full of digitization and transparency.

About the Author:

Gabriel Schandl is a performance researcher, keynote speaker, business trainer, and coach. As an author, Gabriel Schandl wants to make his personal contribution to bringing people closer to their individual joy of performance. The motivation coach of the new generation is a Constantinus Prize winner and teaches Social Skills at the University of Applied Sciences Puch-Urstein near Salzburg. He coined the term and concept of the joy of performance, which he impressively presents in his lectures. For over 20 years, the Top100Speaker Gabriel Schandl has been working with companies, teams, and executives to optimize their performance.