Everyone loves a good story. Here’s a trip down memory lane.
Years ago, Bryan and I had jobs selling medical supplies. We sold diabetic supplies mostly, but we also sold other supplies such as back braces, catheters and wheelchairs. If Medicare would pay for it, we would sell it. We would call people all day and try to convince them to use our services.
It’s tough work. Every day you are calling people, bothering them in their homes, and demanding their attention to try and convince them of something. It toughens you up. You learn to have thick skin after being hung up on a lot.
Our sales manager was a man named Steve. I still talk to Steve till this day, he was a great role model for Bryan and I. He understood how to treat employees. How to listen, and command his team without coming across like a drill sergeant.
One day Steve gave me a book to read. The book was called Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. Reading this book was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life and it is what gave me the courage to be a business owner.
Tony Hsieh founded the company Zappos, which is an online retail store for shoes, clothes and accessories. I buy all my Chuck Taylors from Zappos, and it is my favorite company on Earth. The book inspired me so much, because Tony Hsieh built his billion dollar enterprise around the philosophy of service and company culture.
The sole purpose of the Zappos organization is to serve customers. Tony Hsieh says the main objective of every employee is to get every customer to say the words “Wow.” He provides a service of excellence, so passionately, that his customers and consumers are blown away.
This includes free shipping, a 365-day return policy, and phone reps that will help you with just about anything. If Zappos doesn’t sell the particular sneaker I am looking for, I will call them, and they will help me find it. You can call them and ask for the best pizza place if you want. It doesn’t matter. They are not trying to sell you shoes or clothes or watches. They are trying to serve you. It’s really quite amazing.
What Does This Have To Do With Stodzy?
Let’s not beat around the bush. Techies can be a bit pompous.
In working with other computer nerds in the industry, we commonly find that people don’t always have the best attitude when it comes to working with other people. I don’t know where it originated from, but we constantly hear reports of bad service in our industry. Maybe it’s because we speak in a language that most people don’t understand and that somehow gives us the right to speak to people as if they are below us.
Well, we think that’s bullshit.
When we founded this company, we said right from the beginning that we were going to focus on serving our clients. Sometimes the work we do is confusing, and we want to be able to comfort our clients by speaking to them in simple English. We make a point not to use fancy buzzwords and complicated tech lingo.
We made a promise to help our clients with simple tasks that they may not understand. For instance, something as simple as setting up an email address can be a daunting task for a business owner that has no experience with computers or the internet. We got your back.
We made a promise to ourselves to always be available, no matter what. It seems like common sense that although our clients pay us for our ability to handle their digital marketing, they may also need help with everyday tasks. This could include posting a picture on Facebook, converting Word documents to PDF files, or even setting up call tracking.
Helping our clients, and people in general, should not come with a tip jar. We are available at all times to answer any questions you may have. Even if we are not doing business together, we will take your phone calls, answer questions and help you with no expectation of reciprocity or reward. The Universe always honors positive energy.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
The Stodzy Code of Ethics
Over the next month or so, we plan to solidify our code of ethics and incorporate them on our website for the world to see. We will have these in writing, in plain view, so that we can be held accountable. For right now, I thought it would be a good idea to list what we have come up with so far:
- We promise never to hold your work hostage. Domains, social media pages, creative work. You own it, and we work it.
- We promise to always be ourselves. We will not change who we are for the sake of new business.
- We promise to provide the best service within the industry and make service a company priority.
- We promise to explain our actions and to educate our clients in the process.
- We promise that our words and our actions will always be in line with each other.
Our list is not finished yet, but when it is finished it will be published conspicuously, for everyone to see.
The Endgame In Our Commitment To Service
We are not out to fool anyone here. Our job is to help our clients grow their business through our high end, digital and internet marketing services. We know that, and we are by no means covering up incompetence with smiles and friendly faces.
The point is that we see this as a great asset for our company. We see our commitment to service as something that separates us from the rest of the pack.
It’s simple. If we are hired by another company, we are paid for our expert skills in internet marketing. However, if we are able to combine our skills with the ability to be helpful to people, then its a win-win for everyone.
You feel good about us, we feel good that our clients feel good, everyone makes money and everyone enjoys the work.
That is good business. Plain and simple.
