I had the honor, once again to be the host of a marketing conference that Nomacorc sponsors in California. It is called The Exchange. We bring together fascinating thought leaders from the wine industry and retail to speak to a very select audience of wine marketing professionals. Like the orchestra leader, I get to conduct and shape the program. We strive to strike a harmonious chord for our audience.
We were fortunate to have a panel of new friends from Whole Foods who spoke about the role of a company’s culture in understanding how you do business with them. Understanding the Whole Foods culture, long precedes selling to them. No other retail is quite like them, and we helped share a road map to working with this important national retailer.
Our guest panelist included:
- Devon Broglie, a master sommelier and associate global buyer.
- Jessica Agneessens who play a crucial role as a change agent for the company,
- George Eckrich, (AKA Dr. Kracker) who has been both a supplier and a team member
- Mike Schall who consults for the enterprise.
In Appreciation of Appreciation
As I was about to end the session, Devon stood up. He said that at Whole Foods, at the end of a meeting or group gathering, they take a moment to acknowledge, thank and praise each other.
Do your meetings at your office allow time to show appreciation?
Is this even part of your companies culture or do you just jump from one treadmill to another? This very gesture of kindness exemplifies how Whole Foods lives their difference through their culture. Yes, they sell products targeted toward a particular segment. But the real way they are different is in how they live their values. It isn’t an idle insincere gestures but demonstrable actions. This is how they roll.
Saying thank you is such a simple, sincere and straightforward act.
It is such an essential human action, not encumbered with pretense. It is a fundamental way to acknowledge each other and to cut through bureaucrat crap – to demonstrate humanity. Every business could benefit from this lesson of appreciation.
The Thank You Experiment
A few months ago, I wrote a blog post called Thank You. Of the 510 posts I have written in the last five years, it was the most retweeted, reposted and viral piece of writing I have ever done. 25,775 people read the brief story on Linkedin’s pulse and more than one thousand have commented. I share a remarkable simple marketing lesson I learned from my mother and it involves writing a personal thank you note. For those readers, I am deeply grateful for such a warm and loving response.
How does your company live your values in your meetings each day?
Namaste.
Is your culture rich with appreciation and gratitude? Could it help shift your business forward. Let’s talk.
