Page 215 - The Apple Experience

placards, and protests have been held to end Canada’s tar sands project and
encourage investment in clean energy.

Wolverton acknowledged that Lush’s tactics might turn off some

customers. (Lush has stores in Alberta, and some employees have family

members who work in the oil sands.) But they are also passionate about their

values and communicating those values. “We strive for a substantial amount

of transparency in the business. We must act in a green fashion and the

causes we support. It all fits together,” says Wolverton.
You might disagree with Lush’s stand on environmental issues—and

many do—but the store has values and sticks to them. It’s more important

that as a business you stand for something and communicate those values

consistently.

Involve Employees

Lush includes its employees in every facet of its business—from the

causes it supports to the discussion of its products. Again, Lush does

something unique. It sends new products to every employee’s home so they
can use it for themselves. Employees are the brand’s best ambassadors, so this

intimate knowledge of each and every new product carries over to a high rate

of customer satisfaction and loyalty. I visited four stores (Orlando, Carmel,

San Francisco, and Paris) and in each location, the employees had thorough

knowledge of every product—from soaps to shampoos. Lush has thousands

of employees who know the details of every product. I’ve visited many small

businesses with far fewer employees who don’t know very much about the
products or services. There’s no excuse for poor training. Apple, too, involves

its employees in the success of the company. Apple managers are frequently

challenging Specialists to come up with radical ideas to improve the customer

experience. Although an employee on the Apple sales floor cannot reposition