The original design and intent of your business are important assets for your company. And it’s crucial that you don’t let the growth of your business squeeze out and overwrite your original design!
Years ago, Starbucks developers created a coffee house experience for its customers. In the words of President and CEO Howard Schultz, there was a “distinctive Starbucks experience” that was vital to the company’s original design. It was the “romance and theater” of a customer’s trip to Starbucks that was envisioned when their first coffee house was opened.
Yet the world’s largest coffee house chain experienced something less than distinctive in 2007 when sales slowed considerably.
Why? Customers understood what Starbucks management did not – the original design of a warm and intimate neighborhood coffee house had been replaced by automatic espresso machines, flavor-locked packaging, and mass-designed store layouts. All very efficient progress, but lacking the envisioned experience originally intended.
Redefining your own original business design may be difficult, but in the face of a slowed economy, it’s important that you maintain the culture and commitment to who you are.
Read more about how Starbucks is making changes in order to win back customers and return to its roots. Read Article…
Elliott Cunningham is a Business and Marketing leader with the ability to identify and capitalize on unique opportunities to drive revenues and superior customer loyalty. He is able to successfully manage multiple, concurrently-running environments, evidenced by a track record of achievements including CMO of the Year from the Nashville Business Journal.