Page 143 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 4

We Don’t Want You Here
As you’ve seen in Principle 1, “Make It Your Own,” Star-
bucks management encourages partners to be welcoming.
Normally Starbucks also finds itself to be a welcome addi-
tion in the communities it enters. Marion, Indiana, Mayor
Wayne Seybold stated, “A lot of people look at a prospective
town to see if there are businesses in that town which they
are used to seeing, such as Starbucks. These individuals judge
communities based on which national retailers are there. For
that reason and many others, Starbucks makes a community
stronger, and as such they were very welcome in Marion.”
In a few instances, however, Starbucks has received any-
thing but a welcome mat. Rather than packing it in or ignor-
ing the concerns of citizens in the community, Starbucks
leadership engages in active listening and responds to the
128 community’s issues.
District manager Shelli Taylor shares how she approached
community resistance in a particular town in New Mexico.
“There was a small café in town. It was really popular, an
important part of the community, with an owner who was
well respected. Even before we went there, people were telling
us this town might not work for us, especially because the
influential café owner was opposed to Starbucks. There was
a perception that we would be taking over. It was the kind of
pushback we get from being the Big Green Giant.
“Given the community’s concerns,” Shelli recalls, “a col-
league and I went door-to-door to every single café in town
and introduced ourselves. We listened and talked to people
about their fears and affirmed our commitment to create a
win/win for their businesses and for us. We acknowledged
that certainly there would be competition, but we were more
interested in adding value to the business environment. I