•

Logo with text "Stan Phelps Speaks" and a speech bubble graphic inside the letter 'P'.
Schedule a Call
Menu

Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

Sharing insights on customer experience, employee engagement, and brand strategy.

Check it out
Unilever

Unilever makes the move to remove the word “NORMAL” on all of its beauty products

Defying normal. Unilever makes the move to remove the word “NORMAL” on all of its beauty products. The maker of Dove, Lifebuoy, Axe, and Sunsilk is trying to usher in a new era of beauty that is more equitable and inclusive.

The announcement last week is part of an initiative called “Positive Beauty.” This effort is a strong example of Exposing in the Pink Goldfish FLAWSOME framework.

Exposing is about honesty, transparency, and authenticity. You have to be willing to:

– reveal, instead of conceal
– declare, instead of deny
– disclose, instead of disguise
– confide, instead of hide

You need to embrace a foundation of truth, which is uncommon in a world of spin.

A 10,000-person, nine-country study commissioned by Unilever found that:

– Seven in 10 people agree that using the word normal on product packaging and advertising has a negative impact. For those aged 18-35, it rises to eight in 10.

– Nearly three out of four people want to see the beauty and personal care industry focusing more on making people feel better than just looking better.

Takeaway – Unilever is exposing in an effort to better “challenge narrow beauty ideals.” How are you taking a stance and challenging what is considered “NORMAL” in your industry?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
Audrey MacLean

Audrey MacLean embodies the Pink Goldfish ethos of defying normal

“You need to understand the market, know how you can differentiate yourself in it, and grasp the functional differentiation competitive points that are going to allow you to be disruptive.”

This quote by Audrey MacLean embodies the Pink Goldfish ethos of defying normal. Audrey personifies this both personally and professionally. She is a successful entrepreneur, investor, and educator in tech.

Here is part of her faculty description at Stanford University:

“She has been on the Midas Touch list by Forbes and listed by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of the 50 most influential businesswomen in America. She was also featured by Forbes in a cover article on Angel Investing. MacLean has three decades of combined experience in the computer and communications industries. She was a founder of Network Equipment Technologies which went public in 1987 and later co-founded and was CEO of Adaptive which merged with NET in 1993. Building on her own entrepreneurial success, MacLean has been instrumental in helping to launch and grow successful companies through her work as a mentor capitalist and as a professor of entrepreneurship.”

As a Kauffman Fellow, MacLean is a tireless advocate for the development of entrepreneurial studies nationwide and women in technology.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
GOETTL

“Geottl. G-O-E-T-T-L. Geottl. Its really hard to spell.” Goettl unapologetic of its unusual name

“We have more HVAC providers per capita than we do teachers! Not sure if that fun fact is actually a fact; the point is we have a lot of HVAC providers, so it’s really important to stand out.”

Big thanks to Zachary Milito for sharing the Pink Goldfish example of Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing. Zach is based in the Valley of the Sun. Goettl is an industry pioneer in Phoenix.

The company was founded in 1939, when Gust and Adam Goettl developed the Phoenix area’s first evaporative cooler and refrigerated AC unit. Since then the company has been battling the severe desert temperatures.

In Zach’s words, “I saw the attached billboard the other day and thought of you, more specifically about your Pink Goldfish presentation at AMA Michiana. I think this would qualify as “Flaunting”…what do you think?”

My answer: ABSOLUTELY.

Flaunting is about being unashamed or being proud of something. You take pride in your unique characteristics. You emphasize them, accentuate them, call attention to them, and openly display them.

Goettl is an unusual name. The company has even made a jingle out of it:

“Geottl. G-O-E-T-T-L. Geottl. Its really hard to spell.”

Takeaway – What are you unapologetic about? What are you flaunting?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
A graph titled "For-Purpose Matrix" with a spectrum from low to high for-purpose focus and for-profit focus, showing various organizations like non-profits, B Corps, and for-profits.

How your business will need to be ‘post-corona’

I’m going to say something that’s about being P.C. I don’t mean ‘politically correct,’ but rather about how your business will need to be ‘post-corona.’ It is my belief that both for-profit and nonprofit organizations will need to rethink how and why they operate.

Why?

Over the last 10 years, purpose has begun to change the way we work and do business. There will be a reset button pushed post-corona. I believe that by 2025, there will no longer be a distinction between for-profit companies and nonprofits. The evolution of corporate social responsibility, b-corps, new non-profit models, and the conscious capitalism movement has forever blurred the line of how we look at businesses. We’ll simply see organizations as for-purpose or not-for-purpose.

For-purpose is a term for organizations that have purpose ingrained into their business model. These hybrid businesses are not based on an “OR” scenario. They have decided not to choose profit OR purpose. For-purpose companies embrace the power of AND. They offer both value and meaning. They operate with both analytics and artistry. In the words of David Howitt, “By doing both they are helping to develop the full potential of capitalism, and they are beginning to repair the world.”

Get ready for the healing.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
Branding

The importance of purpose in branding

Your brand today “is what you stand for and how your customers feel about you.” This sentence from the DX manifesto speaks to the importance of purpose in branding.

Here’s the full manifesto:

“Your brand today is no longer what you tell people it is.
It is the differentiated experience (DX) your employees deliver.
It is what you stand for and how your customers feel about you.
And most importantly, your brand is what your customers tell others about their experience.”

WIN-WIN-WIN

Brands that leverage a defined purpose benefit from a win-win-win scenario. By standing for something bigger than their products/services, they are winning on three levels:

Win #1: Employees – Purpose helps attract the best talent, keeps them engaged, and retains them.

Win #2: Customers – Purpose becomes a differentiator that drives acquisition and retention. It provides a reason for their customers to engage with the business. Purpose is important to customers as it showcases the values of an organization.

Win #3: Shareholders – Purpose has positive effects on key performance drivers. Research shows that companies who clearly articulate their purpose enjoy higher growth rates than non-for-purpose competitors.

Do you agree that purpose is key to branding?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
unrating vienna

“Unrating Vienna” campaign in 2019 highlighted negative reviews

“Paintings are disgusting.” This was the one-star (★☆☆☆☆) review posted by Toby M. of the Leopold Museum in Vienna. It was projected on the side of the museum by the Vienna Tourist Board.

This was part of a campaign entitled “Unrating Vienna” in 2019. The goal was to highlight bad, yet funny reviews in hopes of convincing people to see Vienna for themselves before forming an opinion.

Norbert Kettner, the Tourist Board CEO shared some background on the reasoning to Lonely Planet,

“We take a humorous look at the notion that online ratings are not always the right path to take when it comes to looking for relaxation and moments of enjoyment. The campaign is intended to make people sit up and think and trigger broader public discussion.”

David Rendall and I see this as an example of Flaunting (the cornerstone of the eight FLAWSOME types of Pink Goldfish). The Tourist Board decided not to shy away from bad reviews. They owned it. Snowbird, a resort in Utah, has leveraged a similar approach in their advertising.

Question – by calling out the haters, they are challenging tourists to discover Vienna on their own terms. Is this a smart strategy?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
customers

The power of word of mouth in marketing

“Your brand is what your customers tell others about their experience.” This is the fourth sentence of the differentiated experience (DX) manifesto. It speaks to the power of word of mouth in marketing.

Today’s customers don’t know what they like…. They like what they know or more importantly, what their friends know. According to McKinsey & Company, 67% of all consumer decisions are primarily influenced by word of mouth.

Creating small unexpected extras can go a long way to increasing retention, promoting loyalty, and generating positive word of mouth.

Investing in a differentiated experience for current customers is the lowest hanging fruit in marketing. Conversely, focusing solely on prospects in the purchase funnel and neglecting actual CX is a recipe for disaster.

How are you standing out in a sea of sameness?

What are your one or two signature differentiators in your experience? What’s that little something extra that is tangible, valuable, and talkable?

– What’s your warm-chocolate-chip-cookie first impression like DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels?

– What’s your Bags Fly Free added value like Southwest Airlines?

Are you invoking the advice of Bonnie Raitt in her most famous song, “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About”?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
The Tao of Ted

The Tao of Ted and how little things can make a big difference

The Tao of Ted and how little things can make a big difference. Our Ted is Ted Lasso. The Jason Sudeikis (Golden Globe winning) character of the Apple+ series of the same name.

If you haven’t seen the show, it’s about an American football coach who is tasked with managing an English Premier League team. Ted doesn’t know it, but his hiring is an effort to destroy the team by the owner. Ted doesn’t know soccer, but he knows and believes in people.

In the second episode, Lasso begins a morning tradition called “Biscuits with the Boss.” Three biscuits (shortbread cookies) packaged in a small pink box, it’s an effort by Ted to get to know the owner. She rejects the gesture, but when trying them the first time, Rebecca likes them so much she exclaims “F%ck me.”

She becomes obsessed with them. Ted won’t reveal his source. Rebecca tasks staff to find the vendor with no result.

Soon, she begins to anticipate the biscuits. It begins to improve the relations between her and Ted.

We learn later that Ted bakes the biscuits himself each night. It’s a bit of lagniappe for his boss. A micro-weird act that demonstrates both effort and care for the relationship.

Takeaway – Demonstrate your EQ and show you care as a leader. It might seem risky, but no risk-it, no biscuit.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
flexibility

“We don’t measure people by how many hours they work. We do care about accomplishing great work.” – Netflix CEO Reed Hastings

“Does this flexibility approach really work? Are employees really happier and more productive?” This is one of the questions I received a year ago while doing a webinar for EMIC Training. We were discussing ways to improve employee engagement during a crisis.

One of the ways is to give your employees greater control over when and where they do their work. In the tech-driven 21st century, work is no longer where you go . . . work is what you do. I shared ROWE (Results Only Work Environment), the HR management strategy co-created by Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler where employees are paid for results rather than the number of hours worked.

In Green Goldfish 2.0, we showed how Meddius, a software company, decided to change the way staff worked by instituting a ROWE. Medius employees can work any time from any place in any way, as long as they get their work done. The company has found that by giving employees the trust and autonomy they need, they’ve actually been more productive and loyal.

I love this quote from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, “We don’t measure people by how many hours they work or how much they are in the office. We do care about accomplishing great work.”

As a leader managing remotely, are you measuring what matters?

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
Empathy

Empathy: From Product to Experience

Years ago Doug Dietz wrapped up a project working on a brand new, beautiful GE MRI machine. While he was proudly waiting to see his design live in the hospital he encountered a young patient about to be scanned. She was clearly terrified, tears rolling down her face. Doug suddenly saw the situation through her eyes.

“The room itself is kind of dark and has those flickering fluorescent lights,” he remembers in his TEDx talk. He added, “that machine that I had designed basically looked like a brick with a hole in it.”

This moment altered his perspective forever. He knew he had to make a change. The goal was to make the MRI experience less terrifying. How could he create an experience that children would love? From this new approach came an amazing series of story adventures and decorated rooms. The child enters something like a pirate ship for the scan. Their imaginations are fired up with an adventure story and the scan is done with no stress.

RESULTS: Patient satisfaction scores went up to 90%. Children suffer less anxiety during their MRI scans. Some even ask their parents if they can “come back tomorrow.” Employees benefit from the lack of drama. Society benefits as scans are more accurate and can be done more quickly.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.

Read on...
1 … 33 34 35 36 37 … 48
A simple illustration of a purple fish facing right on a plain background.

I've had the pleasure of working with teams at:

Hallmark logo featuring cursive text with a crown above the letter "k.
Discover logo with the word "DISCOVER" in black and an orange circle representing the letter "O" on a gray background.
Hyundai logo featuring a stylized "H" in an oval above the word "HYUNDAI" in bold, uppercase letters.
IKEA logo in bold black letters on a white oval background, set against a dark rectangle.
Square logo with a grey square icon and the word "Square" in grey text.
ExxonMobil logo in gray text on a dark background.
IHOP logo with the letters "IHOP" in uppercase, and a curved line below resembling a smile.
The image shows the Red Hat logo featuring a stylized red fedora hat alongside the text "Red Hat.
Logo of American Family Insurance, featuring stylized text under a roofline design.
Logo of Boston Scientific with the tagline "Advancing science for life™" below it.
Cardinal Health logo featuring stylized bird wings above the company name in dark gray.
Citrix logo with black text on a transparent background.
A gray logo with the word "kenvue" next to a stylized "K" shape.
Stylized Liberty Tax Service logo featuring the Statue of Liberty's crown alongside the company name.
MetLife logo with a stylized "M" icon on the left and the text "MetLife" on the right, all in grayscale.
SAS logo featuring the letters "sas" in lowercase with a stylized "S" design to the left.
Logo of UnitedHealthcare with icon resembling a shield on the left and the company name written in a serif font on the right.
Logo of United Way featuring stylized hand, person, and rainbow circle.
Xerox logo with grey text and a stylized sphere featuring white intersecting lines.
Sherwin-Williams logo featuring an inverted paint can pouring paint over a globe, with the company name in capital letters to the right.
Logo reading "Window World" in black script on a gray background.
American Century Investments logo featuring a stylized tree and text.
Microsoft logo with four colored squares forming a larger square on the left and the word "Microsoft" in gray text on the right.
Nintendo logo with black text inside a rounded rectangle.
The image shows the Volvo logo, a circle with an arrow pointing diagonally upwards to the right and the word "Volvo" written across the center.
Canon logo in black font on a transparent background.
CAT logo featuring bold black letters with a white and gray triangular shape underneath.
Black and white Dairy Queen logo with the letters "DQ" inside a tilted oval shape.
Fidelity Investments logo featuring a stylized sunburst design above the company name.
IBM logo in bold, gray letters with horizontal lines cutting through each letter.
Intel logo in black and white with the company name in lowercase letters encircled by an oval.
Logo of the National Association of Realtors, featuring a stylized "R" symbol and the organization's full name in bold letters.
TEDx logo in bold, uppercase black letters on a white background.
Logo of Choice Hotels featuring a stylized letter "C" composed of geometric shapes above the text "Choice Hotels.
Logo with the letters "E" and "O," and a circular shape resembling a clock or gauge with a needle pointing right. Three small stars are above the image.
Genworth Financial logo featuring a circular pattern of triangles with the company name underneath.
Black and white Johnson & Johnson logo with stylized cursive lettering.
Target logo with a red bullseye above the word "TARGET" in capital letters.
UPS logo in grayscale, featuring the letters "ups" inside a shield design.
Black ESPN logo on a transparent background.
Black and white GSK logo with bold, stylized letters on a transparent background.
MLS logo in black and white, featuring a diagonal stripe across a shield with three stars and the letters "MLS" at the top left.
Three purple fish silhouettes swimming to the right on a dark background.

Find Your Best-Match Program

With over 18 possible keynote speaking presentations, workshops, and GOLDFISH TANK programs available to meet your ever-evolving needs, I’ve created this 2-minute, 6-question quiz to help you understand which program is best for you and your audience.

Take the Quiz

Meet Your Presenter

Through keynote speaking presentations, hands-on workshops, and GOLDFISH TANK programs, I empower you to power loyalty and growth.

Hi, I’m Stan Phelps. I work with organizations that want to increase loyalty, drive sales, and promote positive word-of-mouth by creating differentiated experiences.

As an author, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator, my in-person and virtual programs stand out in a sea of sameness because I model my own message of differentiated experience (DX).

I leverage my unique collection of more than 5,500 case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with practical ideas that inspire action.

More About Stan
A person wearing glasses and a gray quarter-zip sweater stands outdoors in front of a building with a triangular glass roof at dusk.

Every time we do business together, Something amazing happens in the world!

Through my partner B1G1, each program gives back to create global IMPACT

Two students in blue uniforms smile while washing their hands at an outdoor tap.

When we complete a GOLDFISH TANK, we give 1001 days of clean water to school children

Collage of three images: a person washing hands, a child drawing with colored pencils, and a group of people sitting outdoors with some raising their hands.

When we complete a GLOBAL engagement, we give 365 days of clean water access in Peru, 120 days of learning aids in Malaysia, and 50 days of business training for women in Malawi

Hand placing a brick on a surface with text: "One Book = One Brick" and an Amazon logo.

When someone downloads a GOLDFISH eBook, we give one brick toward building school facilities in Cambodia

Book Stan
Schedule a Call