| Lots of businesses rave about "going the extra | | | | value of going the extra inch for a customer. |
| mile". Few do.In reality, just a few inches are | | | | Recently a perspiring guest, just returning from an |
| often more than enough to differentiate your | | | | early morning summer run, walked across the |
| small business from the competition. A couple of | | | | lobby to pick up the room key he had left at the |
| travel examples from a recent trip to Japan | | | | drop box at the front desk. The desk clerk |
| illustrate this.The Westin Osaka is a great hotel to | | | | handed the guest the key and also a small hand |
| stay in. It's clean, and fairly new. The price is right. | | | | towel. Of course, one expects a towel at the |
| We'd call the Westin a nicely packaged hotel.But | | | | hotel gym, but not at the front counter. Now, the |
| what really makes the Westin special are the | | | | guest didn't ask for the towel; he hadn't even |
| barely seen little extras Westin staff provide. | | | | thought about how nice it would be to have a |
| There is a shuttle to the Osaka train | | | | towel until he felt the six comfortable inches of |
| station--pretty standard in large hotels in Japan, | | | | terrycloth against his hot brow on a June morning |
| where trains are one's best bet for transportation. | | | | and was reminded of why he kept coming back |
| But at the Westin the bus driver immediately sets | | | | to this hotel after so many years.Smart |
| a small stool out for the passengers to alight on | | | | marketers soon realize that it's employees who |
| when they get on or off the bus. That little | | | | go the extra inch for the customer. And it's |
| footstool isn't very tall--just eight extra inches-but | | | | employees who can identify just when and where |
| it makes a difference in two important ways. | | | | to expend those extra inches.Remember: Brand |
| First, it physically makes it easier to move onto | | | | (who you are) + Package (your Face to the |
| the bus. Second, it makes the rider feel just a bit | | | | Customer) + People (customers and employees) |
| special; somebody is actually taking the time and | | | | = Marketing Success.© 2006 Marketing |
| effort to make their lives a tad easier.The | | | | HawksCraig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing |
| Century Hyatt in Tokyo is a few years older than | | | | Hawks, a firm providing essential marketing vision |
| the Westin Osaka, but their staff also knows the | | | | for small business. |