Pride
We had a busy day last week and needed to grab a super quick lunch in-between meetings. Knowing we had about 25 minutes to eat, we chose a good-looking diner on a side road that we had never been to before. It was a standalone building, 50s “DINER” style, shiny and inviting. We were greeted at the door and as we were guided to our table we noticed a glass cabinet of “Miracle Grow” cakes, pies and cookies. These are the kind of desserts you see only at Diners and the kind only a giant or someone planning to go on a fasting diet the next day would attempt to eat. We ordered off the “fast menu” which included a drink, sandwich and a very big piece of pie.
It took a while before our food actually arrived but it was worth the wait (um as far as diners go). My hamburger was thick and juicy and the perfect temperature. The fries were fat, hot, crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside. Yum. The portion size was enormous so after eating half of what was on the plate, and knowing that we were in a rush to get to our next meeting, we skipped the piece of pie.
I went to the counter to pay and was surprised that we were charged for the entire “bundled price” even though we didn’t have the pie (and we weren’t offered the pie). When I inquired with the man at the register, another man, whom I came to find out was the owner, become immediately engaged in the conversation and agitated by my “lack of pie”. Within seconds he forcefully said to his manager, another woman and the waiter, “Give her the pie. She paid for the pie. Give her the pie. Now!”
Gosh, I really didn’t want the pie and I was a tad startled by his passionate directive, but was amused and impressed with his pride. Then he picked up a pizza pie sized vanilla chip cookie, motioned towards me with it and said, “From me to you”. WOW.
What tremendous pride. This guy had put out a bundled offering that he felt would benefit his patrons and he wanted to make sure I got my full value.
So now I have “pride” on the brain. One definition of pride (that I like) in the first sense comes from St. Augustine: “the love of one’s own excellence”. Yes! That’s it, excellence!
During good times it’s challenging to maintain excellence and during bad times it’s even harder. Excellence is the receptionist who lives paycheck to paycheck but dresses impeccably every single day. It’s the waitress who memorizes the specials menu and can recite the preparation down to the very last detail. How about the Operations Manager at a retail store or business center to stops in her tracks to pick up a piece of lint on the floor (well I perceived it to be lint) or the guy who gives you the extra cookie to ensure he tops off a good experience. And, it’s even the daughter who wants to show her mom and dad how pretty she looks in her new dress or that she just swam her first lap in the pool.
Yep, I know that pride can “get in the way” sometimes, but when harnessed appropriately, “pride” provides a competitive advantage on an individual and an enterprise-wide level.
What’s the level of pride in your organization?
Andrea Pirrotti is a ROI-driven marketing maven with proven successes in creating, executing, monitoring and optimizing marketing programs in the business center category.
From of 1999 to 2005 Andrea worked for The Regus Group and ultimately served as Vice President of Global Marketing in charge of 750 locations across 60+ countries. She was the marketing lead and member of the executive team that fueled the firm’s growth from $200 million to $1 billion in revenue over a six-year period. During her tenure she crafted the marketing strategy for Regus’ IPO, the firm’s product, location and country launches, bankruptcy (and early emergence) and acquisitions. She has been consulting in the industry ever since.
In addition to her experience in the business center world, Andrea served as the outsourced head of direct sales and marketing for Helicor where she re-launched the StressEraser, a FDA regulated biofeedback device that eliminates the harmful impact of stress on your body. She exceed sales and costs per acquisition targets while achieving a 100%+ increase in sales volume year on year.
While at Antares, a private equity firm with $5 billion in real estate assets, Andrea reduced marketing costs by 62% while increasing leads by 35%. Notable press placements include: VH-1, Fortune, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New York Times, Alpha Magazine and Deal Maker.
From 1991-1999 she headed up marketing for the Technology, Communication and Entertainment tri-state group at Ernst & Young LLP, Graduate programs at the Princeton review and served in Product Management roles at WarnerVision (now Warner Home video) and Gramavision records.
Andrea received a BS in Communications from Boston University and an MBA in Marketing from Pace, Lubin School of Business. She lives in Fairfield, CT with her husband Johnny and their newest addition to the family – baby Johnny and Sophia.