Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

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

Inefficiently FLAWSOM: Efficient doesn’t mean effective

Efficiency has its place. But efficiency for the sake of efficiency can be dangerous. Efficiency is important for the right things. The things that matter the most to your customers and employees. But, maybe a deliberate flaw can be a strength.

CASE IN POINT: Boston Beer Company. They flaunt that Sam Adams has been, “Brewed Inefficiently since 1984.” According to a blog post by Tim Williams, “This classic Boston beer brand allows extra time for its hops to fully mature in order to craft its full-flavored lager. Sam Adams could have a more ‘efficient’ brewing process, but it would result in a much less satisfying product.”

Efficiency is only relative to utility. Ever heard the story of the Soviet nail factory? According to Skeptics.com, “There was a factory in the Soviet Union that made nails. Unfortunately, Moscow set quotas on their nail production, and they began working to meet the quotas as described, rather than doing anything useful. When they set quotas by quantity, they churned out hundreds of thousands of tiny, useless nails. When Moscow realized this was not useful and set a quota by weight instead, they started building big, heavy railroad spike-type nails that weighed a pound each.”

Takeaway: Efficient doesn’t mean effective.

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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.

Why the majority is always wrong

Are you a 3 percenter? Do you know why the majority is always wrong . . . and why only 3% of people have the ability to become extraordinary? Paul Rulkens shares this message in his TEDx Maastrict talk.

Rulkens points out the majority lives within the box. The lines that shape the box are the boundaries and standards we live by. We get hampered by “industry” norms (Legal, Moral, Social, Ethical, etc.) Or we begin to benchmark the leaders and emulate their attributes. Most companies practice R&D as “Ripoff & Duplicate.”

What’s the answer? According to Rulkens,

“You need to know the word norm is an abbreviation for normal. In other words, if you do what everyone else is doing you get results that everyone else is getting. And those aren’t normal results and the thing is what we are after today are extraordinary results. So, the key question is ‘How can you kick yourself out to box out this very small box of your industry and professional field and move to the happy place where cool innovation happens?'”

You can become part of that 3% by deciding as of today to break your industry standards and norms. This is the essence of Pink Goldfish strategy. Either do MORE of what makes you weird or intentionally do LESS of what everyone considers as normal.

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

“Sometimes saying ‘NO’ is the best way to get customers to say yes.” – Will Burns

“Sometimes saying ‘NO’ is the best way to get customers to say yes.” This quote by Will Burns in a Forbes post speaks to the Pink Goldfish of withholding.

CASE IN POINT: If you want a sub sandwich delivered freaky fresh and freaky fast, who ya’ gonna call? You call/order online from Jimmy John’s. They only deliver if you live within five minutes or less of the nearest store.

So how do they do it? There are two parts to their strategy:

First, they only make cold subs. These can be made more quickly because they don’t require heating or cooking.

Second, they have a very limited delivery radius. In some places, it is less than two miles.

This narrow service range allows them to fulfill their promise of freaky fast and fresh delivery. However, it leaves a lot of people out. If you’re not in the zone, you can’t get your sandwich delivered. If they can’t do it in five minutes or less, they don’t do it at all.

They flaunt this limitation in a recent ad campaign that shows bicycle delivery riders crashing into invisible walls and cars with timers marking lines on the road to show the five-minute barrier.

No hot subs. No delivery beyond a certain point. No apologies.

TAKEAWAY – Less can lead to more. How are you saying no to get to yes?

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

Are you willing to murder your thirst with Liquid Death?

The question is simple: Life or Death? Are you willing to murder your thirst and put an end to bottled water? If yes, Liquid Death Mountain Water could be your willing accomplice.

Liquid Death is a #PinkGoldfish of Opposing. Opposing brands are contradictory and operate in a way that is incompatible with everyone else in the category. Opposing is refusing to surrender to the pressure to fit in or follow the crowd.

The brand is clear in its deliberate approach to differentiation. In their words, “Lets be clear. Liquid Death is a completely unnecessary approach to bottled water. In fact, we strive to be unnecessary in everything we do. Because unnecessary things tend to be far more interesting, fun, hilarious, captivating, memorable, exciting, and cult-worthy than ‘necessary’ things.”

Their goal is to take the world’s healthiest beverage and making it just as unnecessarily entertaining as the unhealthy drink and snack brands. They challenge, “Why should unhealthy products be the only brands with ‘permission’ to be loud, fun, and weird?”

For some, being bad never felt so good. Liquid Death canned water shines a light on the wasteful impact of plastic bottles.

Here’s the Patrick Henry Question – Would you choose LIFEWTR or Liquid Death?

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

A simple insight allowed Airbnb to double sales in a snap

In 2008, Airbnb was struggling. A simple insight allowed them to double sales in a snap.

A year in the startup was only making $200 per week with 0 growth. Founders Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky traveled from SFO to New York to meet some of their hosts. They discovered that the images on their website were awful. The photos, usually taken with phones, didn’t truly represent the spaces that were on offer.

An idea was hatched. With the help of a rented professional camera, they visited the top listings and snapped high-quality photos of the spaces. The result: An overnight success. The listings with the professional photos experienced a doubling or tripling of bookings in the next month. Overall revenue had doubled.

Airbnb has now turned this into a Purple Goldfish. It falls into the category of “Added Service.” The company now helps to schedule and contract pro photographers for their listings. It’s not free, but according to their website, “Payment comes from future bookings and is typically paid off with one or two nights.”

I can hear Jerry Maguire in my ear, “Help me, help you.” Listings with professional photography earn 40% more on average. In this case, a picture is worth 1,000 words and a 75 billion-dollar valuation.

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

Kraft launches pink mac and cheese for Valentine’s Day: Micro-weird or micro-wrong?

Have you heard about the launch of Pink Macaroni & Cheese? To steal a question from Buddy the Elf, “Does it have candy in it? Yes, it does. Kraft just announced the new variety in celebration of Valentine’s Day.

How did they get it pink? Is it crushed-up conversation hearts?

From reporting in Today, “According to Kraft-Heinz, the vibrant pink hue comes from beetroot and carrot concentrates. As for what makes it tastes like candy, the extra packet of powder contains fructose, natural flavors, and vanilla extract.”

Can you buy it? Nope. You can register to win by 2/8 and become one of 1,000 “lucky” winners.

Would you give it a try? I’ll pass. But I will tell you about some of my favorite Macaroni combos. Green (Pesto), Red (Frank’s Red Hot), and Brown (Spicy Gravy) are just a few of the combos from the late Le Bistro Montage. The restaurant I wrote about in “Purple Goldfish” closed last summer after serving the PDX community for 27 years. I’m gutted.

Back to Pink Mac & Cheese, is this smart or smarmy? To quote a line from the movie Spinal Tap, “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” Is this a step up from Pumpkin-Spiced Mac & Cheese from the Fall?

Micro-weird or micro-wrong? Give your thumbs-up or thumbs-down in the comments.

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

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER! Punxsutawney Phil allegedly saw his shadow today. This weather harbinger predicts spring will not arrive until May. Not to be a Negative Nelly, but does this surprise anyone in the midst of a global pandemic?

By the way, how did a Groundhog become a weatherman?

It started with a hedgehog. According to Bellaonline.com, “The celebration is rooted in a Germanic tradition that says that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2, the pagan holiday of Imbolc (known among Christians as Candlemas), winter and cold weather will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early. The tradition evolved into a myth that if the sun came out on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast its shadow, predicting snow all the way into May.”

This weird tradition in a small borough in PA dates back to 1887 was popularized by Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” in 1993. Last year, Murray teamed up with Jeep to reprise his role in a minute-long Super Bowl ad.

There is good news.

The inner-circle, donned in tuxedos and top hats, who communicate with Phil may have some issues. NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration reports they’ve gotten it right 50% of the time over the past 10 years.

I’m betting on an early spring.

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

Employees decide to stay or leave within the first six months

Onboarding is critical because employees make the critical decision to stay or leave within the first six months. First impressions matter when creating a differentiated employee experience.

When new hires participate in an onboarding program, the company can reap major benefits. Research by Glassdoor found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.

Here’s 4 quick tips for a strong start:

1. Greater-than: It’s not just the first week. Think about ways to extend the onboarding program for the first 100 days and schedule check-in’s at 6 months and 12 months.

2. Buddy-up: According to Human Capital Institute (HCI), 87% of organizations that assign an ambassador or buddy program see it as an effective way to speed up proficiency.

3. Team-work: Socialization efforts lead to positive outcomes for new employees including greater commitment and a reduction in stress.

4. Lead-in: Senior leaders should lean-in to take advantage of this critical time for new employees. A meal, a meeting, and a tour are just a few ways to engage.

See examples from Twitter, Capital One, Custom Ink, and Warby Parker:

At Twitter, to add to the fun of the first day jitters, the CEO eats breakfast with all new hires, takes them on a tour of the company space, and ends the day with group program training specific to each person’s new role.

Capital One runs a Buddy Assimilation Program. The program matches veterans with newcomers. “Buddies” show the newbies around, have lunch with them, and act as a resource.

New hires at custom t-shirt company Custom Ink receive a blank journal. They are encouraged to record any interesting things they learn about the company in their notebook during their orientation or any questions they would like to ask. New hires are also asked to record instances where they’ve seen CustomInk’s values in action. At the 30-day mark, new hires convene to share what they’ve noted in their journals. Making new hires accountable for noticing how their colleagues and managers live those values every day helps brings those behaviors to life.

Online glasses manufacturer Warby Parker gives a welcome package to new employees. The package includes the founders’ favorite pretzels and a gift certificate to a Thai restaurant since the founders lived off Thai food during their startup phase.

Takeaway: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

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

Version 5.0 of business sees happiness at the center of it all

Happiness is the ultimate WHY, the most sustainable competitive advantage and the ultimate currency in the Purpose Economy. It offers a competitive advantage because when we buy, work, and live to pursue and attain happiness; we buy more, work better and live longer and healthier lives when we are happy. The search for happiness drives the choices we make due to the chemical wiring of the brain. Happiness is also the “ultimate currency,” as Tal Ben-Shahar calls it in Happier. He says, “Through evaluating how happy something makes us, we have a common currency that enables us to compare seemingly unrelated experiences.”

Yellow Goldfish co-author Rosaria Cirillo Louwman CCXP-ART and I believe that we are at the beginning of a widespread realization that there is a version 5.0 of business which sees happiness at the center of what we do: happiness for the customers that we serve, happiness of the employees within the organization and happiness at a societal level, happiness for the next generation.

1.0 Shareholder First
2.0 Customer First
3.0 Employee First
4.0 Purpose First
5.0 Happiness First

When happiness is at the center and everything else rotates with purpose around it, profit, prosperity and growth will follow as a result.

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

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

We don’t see things the way they are. We tend to see things the way we are. It is the reason why a group of four people can see the same situation and come up with four different perspectives. My Diamond Goldfish book based around the Diamond Rule challenges the reader to see business through a new lens as the ultimate game. In the words of Marcel Proust, “The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” The Diamond Goldfish challenges both sales and the process of developing relationships in a new way.

The key to winning in lies within managing relationships and minimizing pressure. Performing at the highest level goes beyond simply treating the prospect or the client the way they prefer to be treated. A Diamond Goldfish is the process of differentiating yourself in business by managing yourself under pressure and addressing the needs of others to reduce their triggers.

Practicing the Diamond Rule requires two elements:

1) You have to see your own predictable behavioral style when pressure hits.

2) You need the capability to assess prospects/clients relative to four different predictable behavioral styles based primarily on how people respond biologically to pressure.

Are you ready to see with new eyes?

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

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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).

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Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

Inefficiently FLAWSOM: Efficient doesn’t mean effective

Why the majority is always wrong

“Sometimes saying ‘NO’ is the best way to get customers to say yes.” – Will Burns

Are you willing to murder your thirst with Liquid Death?

A simple insight allowed Airbnb to double sales in a snap

Kraft launches pink mac and cheese for Valentine’s Day: Micro-weird or micro-wrong?

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Employees decide to stay or leave within the first six months

Version 5.0 of business sees happiness at the center of it all

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

Find Your Best-Match Program

Meet Your Presenter

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

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