Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone, Powered by NAFCU

There’s nothing like a concierge. A good one listens and makes recommendations to you based on your wants and needs.

The best businesses act that way. I recall walking into a wine store about 25 years ago on the hunt for brandy. Perhaps it was my flip-flops, but an employee asked me why I was looking for brandy. Well, I was making sangria, and my recipe said I needed it.  

She said that a ton of recipes don’t, and that she recommended a magnum of cheap Italian table wine. She also printed out a recipe that she used to make sangria using that wine.

It was far less expensive to buy the table wine. Technically, the store lost out on revenue. But me? I was elated with the service.  And they picked up a customer for life.  And the sangria was wonderful.

I think the tough part about growing a business is figuring out how to keep that concierge spirit alive and well as staff and product lines grow.

Now, on to this week’s reading pile!

• Salad chain opens “robotic” location. (BI)
• American cities are starting to thrive again. Just not near office buildings. (WSJ)
• Your preference is not universal. (Godin)
• May vehicle sales forecast to be up sharply, YOY. (Calculated Risk)
• JPMorgan Chase defends contrarian branch strategy as deposit-gathering machine. (FB)
• Top CX books to read this summer. (Medallia)
• The 77% threshold. (Godin)
• Please put me back on hold. (Shep Hyken)
• We asked workers why they’re not coming back to the office. (WSJ)
• And…job openings bounce back up in April. (Calculated Risk)