John Wieland Hits The Road

Posted on April 13th, 2009 in Customer Experience, Halo by paige.hall

Atlanta-based homebuilder John Wieland has been in the news for his Get Housing Moving tour. Wieland is traveling across the southeast in his customized motor home, “camping out” in unfurnished, unsold homes in Wieland neighborhoods until they sell 101 homes. Why 101? Because Wieland says it’s time to get back to the fundamentals – he’s going out to talk personally with prospective buyers about low interest rates and price cuts.  

I’m sure some people will dismiss Wieland’s trip as a gimmick, but they’re missing the mark. When you talk about engineering the customer experience – about listening to your customers – you have to acknowledge what a great learning experience it will be for him. He’ll be at ground level, seeing and hearing about the economic climate from his customers, rather than reading about it in marketing studies. To navigate at the top, you have to LISTEN on the ground.

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Ritz Carlton (in Philadelphia) Cares

Posted on May 13th, 2008 in Customer Experience, Halo by paige.hall

ritzNow and then, I invite other respected industry professionals to share their frontline experiences with my readers. Recently, a recount of a Ritz Carlton snafu and recovery by consultant and coach to corporate executives, professionals, and independent business owners, Liz Bywater, PhD, caught my attention. Here’s a snippet of her story:

Several weeks ago, I attended a charity event at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. I drove up to the hotel, handed my car keys to the valet and stepped inside. The event was lovely. I met some new people, caught up with old acquaintances, sampled the hors d’ouevres, paid the valet and drove home.

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