S12 E38 Learning The Culture & Values with Gayle Turner & Steve Spiro

Steve Spiro shares a heartwarming story about a customer's mink coat and the values of Bloomingdale's. "They believed that this (Bloomingdale's) was their home." Steve recalls a customer who bought a mink coat 22 years ago for her daughter's wedding and returned it, only to find out it had deteriorated due to improper storage. Steve reveals that the store had a policy of accepting all returns, even in cases of overt fraud, acknowledging that 5% of customers will try to take advantage. Become a person worth listening to so you can learn about the culture and values of an organization, particularly Bloomingdale's, through Steve Spiro's story. The main message is that by fostering a sense of home and providing excellent service, Bloomingdale's created loyal customers who believed in the store and returned anything. This story emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction and the impact it has on a business. What you need to know: Bloomingdale's had a customer who returned a mink coat after 22 years, but it had deteriorated due to improper storage. The store had a policy of accepting all returns, even in cases of overt fraud, to maintain customer loyalty. Consider the importance of building a strong company culture and providing exceptional customer service to create loyal customers. Do this now! Reflect on how you can foster a sense of home and provide excellent service within your own organization to cultivate customer loyalty. Steve Spiro retired from Bloomingdale's after 37 years as Executive Vice President. In 2004, relocated to Belize, where he became the General Manager of El Pescador. Currently, he serves as a SCORE consultant in Central Virginia. https://www.score.org/richmond/profile/steve-spiro Gayle Turner is President of The Storytellers Channel, Inc. https://storytellerschannel.com/ For close to five decades he has used the power of story to initiate and sustain change while growing leaders and building productive corporate and community cultures. Check out his LinkedIn profile to learn the rest of the story. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wgayleturner/  If you'd like to explore how clarifying your organization's stories and sharing the stories that exemplify those values can improve performance click here and schedule a time to talk with Gayle.