Free The Apple Experience: Secrets to Building Insanely Great Customer Loyalty by Carmine Gallo Page B

to form, just in a few short seconds.
    We will discuss “probing” questions in Part II, but for now just pay attention to the fact that the employee in the ice cream example connected a recommendation to the customer’s likes. The employee didn’t say, “Oh, you like vanilla. Have you tried mocha?” The same applies to the auto industry. If a car buyer walks in and starts talking about her three children and family trips, an astute car salesman won’t point her to a two-seater turbo. When I walked into an Apple Store to shop for a new iPod, the specialist didn’t try to sell me aMacbook Air. But he did introduce me to the iPod Touch because after asking probing questions, he learned that I like some music apps like Pandora. The iPod Touch, he said, would give me all the benefits and apps of an iPhone, without the phone. The Apple specialist had learned—through training and constant feedback—how to create an enriching experience for his customer.
    In another situation, I entered an Apple Store specifically to purchase a new notebook computer. The Specialist who worked with me, “Carla,” was one of the most enthusiastic people I had ever encountered at any retail store. Carla was a middle-aged woman who was clearly a free spirit. She had a purple streak in her hair and wore a beret. She made the buying experience a real pleasure. Of course, the journalist in me came out, and I asked her as many questions as she asked me.
    “How long have you been working here?” I asked.
    “Only six months.”
    “Did you work in another retail store? A technology company?” I asked. “You seem to know a lot about operating systems.”
    “It’s funny,” she said. “I had never worked in retail, and I didn’t know much about computers. But I
loved
Apple products. I had taken some One to One classes, and my goal is to be a Creative (Creatives are the instructors who teach personalized classes in the store). I remember there were about one hundred people in my first interview. A few were arrogant and thought they’d nail the job because they knew so much about Apple products. But Apple is different. They weren’t looking for technical knowledge. They hire for passion and personality. I’m really proud to work for a company that cares about its customers.”
    “I can see that,” I responded. “You could have fooled me. I would have thought that you’ve been selling Apple products your whole life.”
    “I’ve been here six months, and I still get feedback every day. We have discussions at the end of every shift. I’ll tell them all about this lovely interaction. Thanks for coming in and making my day!”
    Carla made me feel good. I had a smile on my face, and I couldn’t believe how outgoing and friendly she was. Carla represents the next generation of customer service. But if it wasn’t for the consistent feedback Carla—a Specialist—received from her manager,her natural friendliness would not have been channeled into creating a strategic advantage in the industry.
    I must say, the customer service at Apple is great. They really helped me get everything I needed for my purchase.
    —Stephen M.

The Ultimate Question
     
    One reason why Apple scores higher than most other retailers on every metric (visitors, revenue per square foot, employee retention, etc.) is feedback. Interestingly, when you ask the casual Apple Store customers why they were satisfied with their experience, they will rarely, if ever, mention the word
feedback
. Conduct a Twitter search for Apple and customer service, and you will find dozens of enthusiastic customers who are sharing their positive experiences with friends on their larger social networks. Add the word
feedback
to the search term and no results will show up. Yet feedback is Apple’s under-the-hood philosophy that guides nearly everything Apple does, and it’s a key component in cultivating an engaging team.
    Apple uses the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to “monitor the