Comments on: Are Your Customers Muppets Or Do You Just Call Them That?

By: Brad Aronson

Brad Aronson — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:52:10 +0000

Ha! Thanks Katy.

By: Katy

Katy — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:39:29 +0000

The big question of “Are you a man, or are you a Muppet” was finally answered by Greg Smith- I guess a client can be both =)

By: SharonMPowers

SharonMPowers — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:54:17 +0000

Are Your Customers Muppets Or Do You Just Call Them That: http://t.co/EcnnT6DE via @bradaronson

By: Brad Aronson

Brad Aronson — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:12:38 +0000

I think there will often be some people who have the wrong perspective on clients. I think the best thing a company can do is take care of that as quickly as possible, so other employees don’t think it’s acceptable. Thanks for the reply.

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:15:26 +0000

I spent 6 years @ GS – and it was disappointing to read what was written about what I thought was a great firm during the time that I was there. I’ll tell you this, though – even when I was there, I often heard some financial advisers I worked with referring to some client transactions / investments as being more advantageous for “the home team” – and thus more encouraged. That phrase referred to both GS and the advisers’ pockets. Sad.
Maybe someday you can help me coauthor a book about it!

By: Brad Aronson

Brad Aronson — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:33:42 +0000

Yes, it’s the little things that matter a lot. Language is one part, but actions are especially important — like coming to help with cleanup instead of just handing napkins through the drive in window. At a place like Chick Fil it must come from the top down with clear direction and role modeling around the value of service.

By: Brad Aronson

Brad Aronson — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:30:35 +0000

Thanks for the comment Graeme, and for being a guest on my blog!

By: Farrah Kennedy

Farrah Kennedy — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:25:17 +0000

I totally agree. I love Chick-Fil-A and it’s not just the food… the way they treat you. “My pleasure” is always their response vs “you’re welcome” or even nothing which is what a lot of people do! They make you feel like there is nothing they would rather be doing. A friend of mine went through the drive thru and ordered several orders including lots of drinks. When she got them all, she spilled one and of course Chick Fil A replaced it but the best was they came out to her car with towels and cleaner and helped her clean the mess!! That’s service and it’s the “little” things that Chick Fil A does that makes raging fans. The average CFA does more business in 6 days than their competitors do in 7… that’s no accident!

By: Graeme

Graeme — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:43:35 +0000

Great point. The most lucrative time of my career was from a time where I openly referred to my customers as “guests”. Treat them as such, and the money will come. As for “muppets”, as a British ex-pat – who’s becoming more and more American by the day – it’s not often that reading a single word causes playground nostalgia, but reading about the word “muppet” being used in a derogatory fashion most certainly did! It just left me me wondering whether the execs at Goldman Sachs are also stealing their customers’ candy. Oh, wait a minute…