“Positive people power is fundamental to overall success of any business.” This simple message is at the core of the book, Hug Your Customers, by Jack Mitchell — a work that is now celebrating its 10th anniversary, but contains ideas for customer service that are timeless. Jack Mitchell and family own the most successful independent retail stores in the country, Mitchells of Westport. He fosters a culture of niceness with his customers and his employees, who are the subject of his second book, Hug Your People.

“Hugging” is Jack Mitchell’s metaphor for bringing humanity back into the workplace, not necessarily through touch but by getting to know, pay attention to and being curious about those we do business with by taking the time to learn what matters to them.

How do you make your customers feel loyal to your store? By offering amazing customer service, such as the appliance store Mitchell mentions that has its staff wash their customer’s car windows when they pull around to the loading dock to pick up their purchase. The Mitchells stores are legendary for their customer service, including providing refreshments and even professional child care for shoppers’ children. They also stage numerous creative events such as a recent benefit for the Westport Art Center during which artistic attendees got to make sketches of live models wearing the latest fashions from Mitchells vendors.

How do you keep employees engaged and wanting to come to work? How do you manage through tough times? Mitchell’s answer to these questions is that you shower your staff with opportunities, attention and rewards. “Executives who lead with kindness get superior results from employees,” writes Jack.  As he says, “An engaged, enthusiastic workforce who work well together engages repeat customers.”  You can listen to a fascinating  20 minute interview with Jack about ideas for hiring and motivating staff from Hugging Your People at this link.

Hug Your Customers and Hug Your People provides many examples of great customer service, and readers are invited to share their own stories on the books’ web site. We can also use a bit of inspiration as we head into the busy season, and Jack Mitchell is eager to share his with you.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder