Estimated Reading Time: 60 Seconds

60-Second Articles:

1. Did We Forget About Transit Advertising?
2. Three Reasons Why “The Customer Is Always Right” Is Wrong
3. Zappos Offers New Employees $1,000 to Quit Their Jobs
4. The 60 Second Close: Sales, Productivity and Turnover

We welcome your newsletter feedback.  Share your thoughts with us and offer further commentary on our blog (www.axia.net/blog/).

• Sky-high gas prices are leading more and more commuters to use public transportation as a cost-saving alternative to driving.
• A national opinion poll by a market research firm GfK surveyed 2,000 adults who own cars and found that 16 percent of motorists said they would begin to use public transportation once gas hit $3 a gallon, 40 percent at $4 and 59 percent once the price of a gallon of gas exceeds $5.
• What kind of ridership numbers are we talking about? Friday, June 20, was the third-busiest day in the 32-year history of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority with more than 850,000 people riding.
• Amtrak has announced the highest passenger numbers in their history — are you reaching readers who are riding?
• Our recommendation is to consider transit advertising as part of your media mix.

2. Three Reasons Why “The Customer Is Always Right” Is Wrong

• The phrase, “the customer is always right” originally came from Selfridge’s department store in London, England, in 1909 and was used to convey to customers that they would get superb service.



• More companies are realizing that the customer isn’t always right, and that this mantra ironically leads to deteriorating relationships with customer service employees and managers.
• From “The Best Article Everyday” blog (www.bspcn.com), here are three reasons why “the customer is always right” is wrong:
1. It Makes Your Employees Unhappy: In conflicts with unreasonable customers and your employees, you should always support and trust those who represent your brand in person.
2. It Gives Unruly Customers An Unfair Advantage: Abusive customers can demand just about anything and get it with this slogan.
3. Customer Service Deteriorates Rapidly: In his book “The Customer Comes Second: Put Your Employees First and Watch ‘em Kick Butt”, author Hal Rosenbluth of Rosenbluth Travel claims that when you put employees first, they put the customers first.
• Our recommendation: if your corporate philosophy favors your customers, then it’s time to put your employees first.

3. Zappos Offers New Employees $1,000 to Quit Their Jobs

• Zappos is an online shoe retailer (www.zappos.com), with sales this year expected to reach $1 billion. How do they do it? Zappos delivers an exceptional online experience and superior customer service.
• More than 1,600 employees are at the reins providing great service, answering the phones and talking to customers for hours at a time. It’s a tedious task and one that requires exceptional energy and motivation.
• The executives at Zappos understand that to continue to grow, they have to hire the right people and reduce costly turnover.
• They also realize that working at Zappos is not suited for everybody. As a result, after the first week of an extensive four-week training period, Zappos offers the trainees a $1,000 bonus if they quit. Why? The company wants to learn early on who has the commitment and motivation to do the job. If you’re willing to accept the company’s offer, then you’re not a fit for the job. (source: http://discussionleader.harvardbusiness.org/taylor)

4. The 60 Second Close: Sales, Productivity and Turnover

• How important is finding the right people for your company? And what does it mean to your bottom line? High turnover is costly and can slow down a company’s growth.
• Finding the right people can mean an increase of 20-60 percent in sales and a 15-50 percent reduction in turnover.
• Zappos has found the answer in finding the right people. What about you? Need help in developing a hiring strategy? We can help you get there … faster than ever.

Best wishes, Jason Mudd, APR AXIA (866) 999-AXIA

P.S. We welcome your newsletter feedback.  Share your thoughts with us and offer further commentary on our blog at www.axia.net/blog/.