Venti black iced-tea with classic sweetener, and one piece of the lemon loaf.....

Today I’m going to write about Starbucks, and never mention coffee.
I have always enjoyed Starbucks both the company, and consuming their products. When Starbucks’ strategy was to be “your third place” (first place being home and second place being work), things were going well for Starbucks. They have been credited for taking a basic commodity beverage and making it a premium item (insert you own joke about $3.50 lattes here). I believe their true success was taking coffee from an “on the go and sipped from a blue cup from the diner” into “sit down and enjoy your time”. They created true customer based brand equity. I went to Starbucks because I felt good about having a Starbucks beverage. It was an enjoyable experience, and I was willing to pay the premium for that experience. I think they may have opened a few too many stores, but a lot of companies would like to have their sales volume.
On day I noticed that the customer service at Starbucks was declining. Okay that’s being nice. The customer service tanked. I would order a venti no-fat hot chocolate, a black iced tea with classic sweetener, or a Grande vanilla bean blended crème (based on the season of course). For about a year, in any location I went into, I really had no idea what I was going be served. I tried; I went to multiple locations across multiple states. I did drive-thru, store front locations, airport kiosks, even the shops inside Target and Stop-and-Shop. The service was going downhill. After six calls to customer service and being sent free beverage coupons, I just gave up going to Starbucks.
As a company they are having additional challenges. I’ve read the articles and heard the analysts:  they removed the fresh ground beans and the smell of fresh beans is why people came to Starbucks; they started making sandwiches which made them more like fast food places; the weather was warm and more cold beverage orders means more prep time and longer waits; they shouldn’t go into movies and music.
Those are attempts at expanding the brand equity. The strategy people are supposed to develop line extensions and category extensions. Somewhere along the line the customer service aspect was lost. You remember when they used to call out your beverage?
I’m writing this in the Starbucks in Somerset, NJ. I had not been in this Starbucks in about a year and wandered in the other day. They have completely re-modeled; I love the display board with the music they are playing. Most of all I got the drink I ordered, and made properly. I always wondered how people were able to foul up iced tea. I wanted to sit here and have an experience. Exactly the feeling Starbucks would want me to have.
I see this company doing the right things for the customers, their procedures, and their investors. Today is my third trip back to this Starbucks location. They got my order right, promptly, and friendly. I noted that the area behind the counter was reorganized and supported the customer service process. The company’s commitment to controlling expansion and adjusting staff, those things will make stock analysts happy. Once the free wireless access arrives, I’ll have a place to go for lunch everyday. Starbucks is working its way back to being the third place, for me and for a lot of their fans.

So I thought I would talk a little bit about why my favorite websites are my favorite websites. (If you are viewing this blog on blogper.com, hit the link to the right to go to my site.)
For the most part, I already enjoyed these subjects, before they had a website. For some, the site is a way I stay connected to the things I enjoy.
Rockapella – This five member acapella vocal group has gone though a few personnel changes over the years, but the sound has always been amazing. To really appreciate their sound you need to experience them live. The show is an incredible performance with just enough interplay with the audience that you feel like you are in their living room for a private show.
RUSH – There are three idols in Canada – Ice Hockey, Molson Beer, and this band. I’m sure you know “Tom Sawyer” and “Closer to the Heart”. If that is it, you need to get back to listening to their music. They are on tour again this spring/summer, so you have a chance to see them live.
The Walt Disney Company Home Page – I love this company, and not just because the theme parks are magical. Brand management, cross-selling, development of new characters, entertainment channels, a presence in so many industries. I can’t get enough of it.
Tikiman.com – When I travel to Walt Disney World in Florida, I always stay at the Polynesian Resort. This site (unofficial of course) brings a lot of the resort into my everyday. It’s worth it just to browse.
Staying on the Disney theme, if you are a fan of the Walt Disney World Resort you need to check out The WDW Radio Show. This is a weekly podcast covering news, rumors, interviews, trivia, and a few surprises. Like potato chips, you can’t listen to just one.
The March Of Dimes – O.K. here is the reality check, but not in a bad way. Premature birth affects anyone. This site will allow you to help out.
Haven’t we had enough of social networking sites? Check out linkedin.com, networking that is oriented to careers and business. No chance of an inappropriate picture getting posted here.
Visit my fantasy football site - r.j. raber sports. I’m leveraging my sports knowledge to satisfy my entrepreneurial side.
So that’s it in brief. Check them out, and send me recommendations of you favorites. To access the sites, click here.

Let Eli be Eli

For this week’s post I had a whole bunch of subjects in mind. Then the NY Giants went and won the Super Bowl. So I changed my mind on what I wanted to write about.
I read a great book about team building. It’s called The Five Dysfunctions of a Teamand it was written by Patrick Lencioni. While watching the Giants through the playoffs and the Super Bowl, I was not thinking about this book. I was doing a lot of jumping and fist pumping in the living room. And I enjoyed every second of this run to the championship. In the last three days, with all the hindsight being done on this football season, I noticed that these Giants came together in the manner described in the book.
Back around last Thanksgiving I was talking to a fellow Giants fan. The conversation went something like this:
Me: I think the Giants need to consider moving on from EliMy friend: Let Eli be Eli.
The key for me was when I watched the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning led a scoring drive at the end of the first half. At that moment it came to me: Eli needs to be Phil Simms (comparatively speaking). The Giants will always be a ball control and defense oriented team. They need a quarterback who can control the offense, make the right decisions, get first downs, find the open man, and don’t turn the ball over. That’s the system and he fits it. Suddenly I realized this team will be successful.
I’m sure you are wondering how I related this to a book about team building. Every successful sports franchise is successful at team building. For me I could not miss the parallels to the Five Dysfunctions book. I do not want to tell you (and probably can’t for legal reasons) everything in the book. It’s a book that really needs to be read to appreciate. I will pass along this. What I saw in this Giants team was true commitment to the plan. They believed in their coaches, their players, their skills. The fans doubted at times, that’s what fans do. The media doubted at times, they get paid to do that. This organization made a decision and stayed with it. As a fan, I showed my appreciation by buying my commemorative shirt on Tuesday.
Check out the book for great ideas on Team Building.
Feel free to post any team building book recommendations of you own.