Apple’s three A’s used to alleviate customer concerns.
A - Acknowledge that their concerns are valid.
A - Align with the customer, agreeing that you would feel the same were you in their shoes.
A - Assure the customer that you will be able to solve their problem to their satisfaction.
Apple’s Retail Customer Service Approach
A - Approach the customer with a “warm welcome”
P - Position, Permission, Probe — Tell the customer what you want to do, ask permission, and then ask them questions to determine their needs.
P - Present the appropriate product solution that fits their needs.
L - Listen to their concerns.
E - End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
You could even use this as a framework for creating customer service emails.
Markkula’s Marketing Principles
Walter Issacson’s blog talks about when Mike Markkula first started with Apple he wrote his marketing principles in a one-page paper titled “The Apple Marketing Philosophy”. There were three key points:
Empathy
We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.
Focus
In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities.
Impute
People do judge a book by it’s cover. We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc.; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities.
It’s okay to say I don’t know. Especially with clients.
— Marcus Schappi
Fletcher's angry list of startup rules →
1. Your idea isn’t new. Pick an idea; at least 50 other people have thought of it. Get over your stunning brilliance and realize that execution matters more.
2. Stealth startups suck. You’re not working on the Manhattan Project, Einstein. Get something out as quickly as possible and promote the hell out of it.
3. If you don’t have scaling problems, you’re not growing fast enough.
4. If you’re successful, people will try to take advantage of you. Hope that you’re in that position, and hope that you’re smart enough to not fall for it.
5. People will tell you they know more than you do. If that’s really the case, you shouldn’t be doing your startup.
6. Your competition will inflate their numbers. Take any startup traffic number and slash it in half. At least.
7. Perfection is the enemy of good enough. Leonardo could paint the Mona Lisa only once. You, Bob Ross, can push a bug release every 5 minutes because you were at least smart enough to do a web app.
8. The size of your startup is not a reflection of your manhood. More employees does not make you more of a man (or woman as the case may be).
9. You don’t need business development people. If you’re successful, companies will come to you. The deals will still be distractions and not worth doing, but at least you’re not spending any effort trying to get them.
10. You have to be wrong in the head to start a company. But we have all the fun.
11. Starting a company will teach you what it’s like to be a manic depressive. They, at least, can take medication.
12. Your startup isn’t succeeding? You have two options: go home with your tail between your legs or do something about it. What’s it going to be?
13. If you don’t pay attention to your competition, they will turn out to be geniuses and will crush you. If you do pay attention to them, they will turn out to be idiots and you will have wasted your time. Which would you prefer?
14. Startups are not a democracy. Want a democracy? Go run for class president, Bueller.
15. You’re doing a web app, right? This isn’t the 1980s. Your crummy, half-assed web app will still be more successful than your competitor’s most polished software application.
12 Lessons Steve Jobs Taught Guy Kawasaki →
1. Experts are clueless
2. Customers cannot tell you what they need
3. Biggest challenges beget the best work
4. Design counts
5. Big graphics, big fonts
6. Jump curves, not better sameness
7. “Work” or “doesn’t work” is all that matters
8. “Value” is different than “price”
9. A players higher A players
10. Real CEOs demo
11. Real entrepreneurs ship
12. Some things need to be believed to be seen.
Two Strikes and You Are Out
This gem is from the Tech Stars book Do More Faster.
If a person screws you, give ‘em a Yellow Card. If they do it twice, give them a Red Card and don’t deal with them again.
