Author: Joseph Michelli

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Pub. in: September, 2006

ISBN: 0071477845

Pages: 208

Measurements: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches

Origin of product: USA

Order code: BA00775

Other information: 1 edition
ISBN-13: 978-0071477840

Management consultant Joseph Michelli spent two years of his life trying to figure out what makes Starbucks such a successful operation. Howard Shultz, the founder of Starbucks, took essentially an ordinary cup of coffee. Prior to him, it was sold daily in some of the seediest places on the planet. He elevated it into an art form, presented in a European style environment, and sold it repetitively day in and day out for 4 to 7 times what you pay somewhere else for it. Starbucks is in a class by itself. Had you invested $10,000 in the Starbucks IPO in 1992, you would be sitting on $650,000 today. If you had been one of the 100 employees with the company in 1987, and had you stayed with them, you would be looking at 100,000 fellow employees today. Who else has had growth like this? How do you replicate the customer experience every day successfully among 11,000 stores?

This is such an extraordinarily difficult thing to do, that you will immediately realize how many other great companies have Stumbled, when it came to maintaining that unique Customer Experience. This wonderful little book answers all of these questions and more, in less than 200 delightful pages to read. Here's more of what you will learn. There are five critical sections to the book. The author has named them Principles 1 through 5. Each is a separate chapter in the book. They are:

1) Make it your own.
The people who work in the stores, who do the everyday work you see are called Partners, not workers, not employees. The objective is to get a lower level associate functioning in an entrepreneurial fashion. Somehow Starbucks gets it done. Basically, each partner is asked to conduct himself in accordance with what the company calls the "Five Ways Of Being".

- Be Welcoming
- Be Genuine
- Be Considerate
- Be Knowledgeable
- Be Involved

2) Everything matters.
There are two fabulous quotes that are used in this section:
- Retail is Detail
- All Business is Detail

3) Surprise and delight.
It might be opening a store an hour early because you see a customer standing outside. Perhaps you had 10 regular customers from the library across the street, and now the library has moved. You run the Starbucks, so what do you do, you visit the new Starbucks where the library moved, and you introduce your old customers to the new Starbucks. Who does this type of thing; what business has such people affiliated with it? The answer is Starbucks. Somehow this company has managed to create these types of dedicated professionals.

4) Embrace resistance.
Most companies seem to fight off criticism or complaints - not Starbucks. They look upon criticism as an opportunity to learn from the person doing the criticizing. A case in point is a high level Starbucks executive calling up a person who did a radio show flailing against what he viewed as a lack of consistency in the coffee and service at his local Starbucks. The company embraced the criticism as an opportunity to learn on a company-wide basis. This is very unusual to say the least.

5) Leave your mark.
It's right in the company's mission statement. The company will "contribute positively to our communities, and our environment." From buying environmentally friendly products to constantly worrying about developing a reputation for integrity, Starbucks takes what it does seriously. This is reflected in every nuance of the customer experience.

The Starbucks Experience will give a whole new meaning to your leisure time activities. You will learn that this company is a whole lot more than just a cup of fresh, wholesome, good tasting coffee.
- From quoting Richard Stoyeck

Target readers: Entrepreneurs, managers, and business owners.

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