Page 99 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 3

tional approach that surprised Michael Cage as he pulled
an all-nighter for a work project. As he writes on his “Mar-
keting and Entrepreneurship” blog, at 5 a.m. Michael
decided that it was time to get out of his house and take
a break. His first thought was to reward himself with a
predictable favorite, a vanilla latte. He hopped in his car
and drove to his local Starbucks, anticipating his treat the
whole way.
“As I pulled up to the store,” he explains, “I knew some-
thing was terribly wrong; the sign was still dark, and the
lights were off inside. I stopped the car and went up to the
door to look at the hours. It was an hour before they opened,
so I turned around to walk back to my car and figured the
coffee would have to wait. . . . And then the lock was thrown,
the door flew open, and one of my regular baristas stepped
84 out and asked me whether I wanted something to drink.” As
Michael says, “Starbucks ‘gets it.’”
While no company, including Starbucks, gets it right every
time, Michael’s barista certainly “got it” that time. His
barista’s decision to open the doors cost Starbucks nothing
and gained it everything—a customer for life! For Michael,
it was the surprise in his box of caramelized popcorn, a
surprise that enhanced his already positive relationship with
the brand.
Like Michael’s, most positive unexpected events are natu-
ral and spontaneous, not artificial or forced. There is a need,
and—BAM—someone steps in and fills it. Strangely, many
customer needs are never actually stated, but determin-
ing them doesn’t require psychic ability. It’s just a matter of
being open and attentive. That ability to anticipate the sur-
prises that customers will enjoy is simply a part of Starbucks
service-minded corporate culture.