Sunday, February 24, 2008

Apple Polish

Recently I came across an article in the New York Times about the Apple retail store. When Apple opened its stores a few years ago many analysts thought that Steve Jobs had lost his mind. These analysts did not give the retailing experiment much hope, and they thought that the company would loose its shirt (if companies had shirts). These were they years when the Company was not the golden child that it has become.

The article goes on to talk about the Apple Store experience. Yes, the products are great, but it is the employees that make the store the place to be. It talks about a workforce that believes that the customer is king. The public is treated as if it matters. Members of the pubic sometimes go in to use the computers for free. Some just check their e-mail, others even write books on the store’s computers. Imagine that! Not chasing someone out the door because they are not actually buying anything! The article talks about the store as being a gathering place.

As I read the article I kept thinking about the series of articles written by Paul Lavesque on motivating employees (Entrepreneur.com). He believes that motivated employees feel they are furthering a cause, and that cause most definitely is not making the owner rich. The motivated employee will work very hard if he or she believes in what they are doing. In the Apple Store we see what a motivated workforce looks like, and the cause that they are furthering.

Being an Apple fan myself, I can understand why people feel the way they do. The Apple products and the retail store have a following that borders on religion, and both customers and employees are on a mission to spread the word. We love the products, they are chic and elegant, simple to use and sophisticated at the same time. The customer base is so committed that they will put in an extraordinary amount of work in order so further the “cause”.

One example is Randy Singer, the MacAttorney. He writes a newsletter for attorneys who use Mac computers. He will review products and advise on technical issues for the love of the product. A while back he asked for donations to defray some of the costs, but you still get the newsletter whether you have donated or not.

The New York Times article tells the story of a woman who wrote a book in the Manhattan store. It took her months to finish her 300-page manuscript. After she finished it, she was invited to give a reading of her book at the store. She still hasn’t bought an Apple computer!

There is no question that you feel a sense of being part of something special when you enter an Apple store. True, you can buy Apple products in other stores, but you cannot get Apple employees anywhere else.

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