Having worked closely with Tom O’Toole owner of the Beechworth Bakeries for the past 17 years, I have gleaned a really good insight into what has made them successful. Great products, great people, and great service have been their mantra for years, and it works!!
I found another similar business that has also been very successful in the US, a deli called Zingerman’s located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are rated as one of the top 25 food markets in the world and have President Obama and Oprah as customers!
One of their co-owners Paul Saginaw presented on their approach to their success, and I thought it was well worth sharing and worth 15 minutes for everyone who wants to improve their business, to watch this you tube clip.
There is a lot of alignment to the Beechworth Bakeries philosophies such as:
- Getting their employees to act and think like business owners
- Zingerman’s invests far more in their employees and sees lower turnover and higher customer satisfaction
- Zingerman’s makes sure that the vision for each of their businesses is clear to all
- Zingerman’s also employs open book accounting where all employees can see the company financial information. This pushes decision-making out to all employees, distributes responsibility, and makes all employees accountable
I loved Paul’s comment on how he treats his team – “I have no right to ever expect that someone that works for us is going to give a higher level of service to a guest than I’m willing to give to [that employee].”
Enjoy the video.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Retail Solution” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.
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