Positive culture vital to success

Employing the right people and developing a culture of outstanding customer service were benchmarks businesses should set themselves to achieve, according to former tyre mogul Steve Lange.

Mr Lange outlined his successful business formula to another of the 2012 Business Workshop Series being jointly hosted by Whanganui Employers' Chamber of Commerce and ANZ. He attracted a record turn-out at the fourth workshop held last week.

His topic was Business Delivery: Overcoming Inefficiencies and Improving Service, and 130 delegates were at the Wanganui Racecourse to hear how former Tony's Tyre Service owner's distinctive business approach helped him lead the firm to becoming the largest independently-owned tyre business in New Zealand in 2008.

Mr Lange told his audience how employing the right people; building a positive and fun team culture; being 100 per cent committed to delivering excellent customer service; "and employing simple, yet smart business practices" was behind the firm's notable success.

He said from the moment he bought the firm until he sold it to Bridgestone in 2008, his main focus was on employing the right people and retaining their buy-in and positivity to ensure the firm kept its reputation for outstanding customer service.

Positive mental attitude (PMA) was the simple, fun word game he invented to create and sustain a positive and energetic working environment for his team and a refreshing, memorable experience for customers.

Mr Lange said PMA was by far the most important thing he did in the business and that it achieved sensational results.

"PMA worked by rewarding staff for being enthusiastic and positive, and issuing light-hearted forfeits for negativity or lack-lustre responses," he said.

Among his tips for business success were:

Enthusiasm is infectious. Mix with positive people and it rubs off on you; mix with negative people and it rubs off on you.

Empower your staff to use their own initiative, express their ideas and to grow as they do so.

The customer is always right. Avoid confrontations and resolve customer complaints early by bringing concessions to the front of the process.

Use positive encouragement, rather than negative put-downs, to promote your team's buy-in and personal/professional development.

Regularly assess customer satisfaction levels by carrying out short surveys.

Invest in continual development opportunities for you and your staff.

Positive culture is vital.

Break sales and profit targets down to hourly targets; the smaller the denominator you break your targets down to, the easier they are to achieve.

Get your best sales people to design your sales systems.

Reward staff for "extraordinary performance".

Establish simple and self-funding profit share and bonus programmes.

The Business Workshop series runs from July to December with each workshop being led by business speakers from Wanganui and across the country.

Chamber president Jenny Duncan said the workshops were designed to provide Wanganui's business community with tools to achieve business success.

"The feedback so far has been extraordinary," Ms Duncan said.

"What we have achieved so far with providing relevant information to our business owners has exceeded our expectations."

The next workshop, from 4pm-6pm at the racecourse Eulogy Lounge, is titled Practical delivery of service and efficiency and aims to step delegates through how they can systemise their business. It will be led by Louise Oskam from 5Wise and Russell Bell from Zenith Solutions.

Register early with the Chamber, phone (06) 345 0080 or email: info@whanganuichamber.org.nz.