How Steve Jobs and Apple keep me coming back for more

Used with permission. CC 2.0: the tartanpodcast.

Wanna know why I keep drinking the Apple Kool-Aid? Here's why.

My MacBook Pro died on Friday. One moment it was working fine. The next it presented me with a black, unpowered screen, and that was that. No amount of CPR, religious ceremony, or offers of inappropriate favors would wake it back up.

That happens. So I made an appointment for the next morning with my local Genius Bar at the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, CA.

When I walked in, a cordial, efficient, knowledgeable, friendly, sorta granola-looking fellow named Ben called my name, punctual to the second. Ben let me know that their database system was down, so he couldn't look up any customer information or open a repair ticket, but he'd help me anyway. I found that confidence reassuring.

I had my kids in tow, and sat them down at an available machine right by the Genius Bar, where they could play Lego Batman to their hearts' content. The Apple Store is a Feng Shui paradise of form, function, and elegant simplicity, much like the products they build. Generous lighting, products on display, maximum staff, and minimal distraction. Even the bags are hidden out of view. (I was once quite surprised by the magic trick when one appeared for my purchase, materializing from under a table. Witchcraft, I tell you!)

Ben ran a quick test (amazing, given that I thought my system was D.O.A.) and confirmed the worst: it wasn't a known NVIDIA problem (which would be covered under a recall even if my system was out of its service contract). It was something more sinister. Alas, said I, I'm not sure I'm still covered under AppleCare.

No matter, he reassured. They'd get back to me on Monday with an assessment of the issue and a confirmation of whether or not I would have to bear the cost of the repair.

This evening, I found my paperwork. Turns out that AppleCare policies are sold in 3-year increments. I'm covered until next summer! I don't even need to wait for the phone call tomorrow.

Whether I'm right or wrong, you know what I think I'd get if this were a PC? I think I'd get a runaround. I think I'd be treated like one of several million problems that they hope will go away. I don't want to be treated like that!

Here's what you need to do to make a loyal customer out of Jeff Holton:

1. Offer superior quality product.
   
   I don't shop for the lowest cost. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Line up three products for me and the first thing I'll do is focus my attention on the middle-priced one. I figure the lowest-priced one has substandard workmanship and the highest-priced one is trying to pull a fast one on me.
   
   But I trust Apple. They're all confident. Not cocky. Confident. They build a product that works. They seem as surprised as everyone else at how great it is.



2. Present sincere customer support.
   
   Be honest. Ben didn't say, "I'll get back to you today and it'll be done tomorrow." He said the system was down and he'd help me. I was given realistic expectations.
   
   He also acted like he wanted to get my problem solved, like it was his problem too. He took it personally.



3. Exist for the convenience of the customer.
   
   Have you ever been helped by someone who was so full of themselves that you felt like a third wheel when there were only the two of you in the room? I don't ask for help so I can be impressed by someone. I ask for help because I need help.
   
   If your primary motivating factor can be shifted away from trying to impress everyone with your brilliance to trying to meet a need, then you've got a successful business plan in your pocket.
   
   Putting workstations for the children right by the counter when the parents are irate and the kids are bored isn't primarily about generating sales, although it may certainly have that added effect. It's about maintaining the sanity of customers who are already on edge, because they wouldn't be standing there unless they'd lost data or were dissatisfied with their purchase.



4. Know your stuff.
   
   Yes, confidence can be faked (which would violate the second point), but without it, you're not going to give any warm and happy feelings to your customer. If you can't reassure them with good news, at least be able to let them know you have a good plan!
   
   These genius folks know what to look for, how to get it, and how make sure they look like they know what they're doing.
   
   Do they sweat? Not that I noticed.

You think I'll buy another Apple product one of these days? Oh, heck yeah. You would too if you'd received the same consistently excellent customer support that I have.

Read a related post on good branding
How Dyson sucked me in.

See also
Gordon Moore's Apple.

How social media changed the world

Used with permission. CC: David Reece.

Once upon a time, word of mouth was the only way to get a message out.

Then advertisers and marketers and psychologists and lawyers and weasels and sharks and snake oil medicine show charlatan con-artist peddlers figured out how to use print and broadcast media to manipulate us en-masse.

We fell for it.

Recently, we took it back.

Here you go:



By the way, they're going to start doing it again. Are you ready?

Be totally sure that you're not sure if you're sure

Used with permission. CC: JMaz Photo.

Certainty: is it a good thing?

There's a wide gulf between an arrogance that alienates us from others and a pathetic lack of self-confidence.

Somewhere in the middle lies a balance point in which we can be pretty confident about our opinions on popular subjects while still being open-minded enough to admit that we might have more to learn.

That's what I'm getting at in a guest post I wrote for my friend Brian Russell today.

Brian's on vacation, so he asked me and a few others to share some words. You can read that post on his blog.

See "When certainty reaches its limit" here.

He's even got a post on making connections, which is what my blog is all about, of course. And he's got lots of other fantastic posts about all sorts of stuff, plus a few zany and insightful web comics. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Guestposting

Guestposting is a fantastic way to interact with a variety of people, to share ideas and start conversations. It's a great opportunity to get outside your own ideas and broaden your understandings.

This follows two other guest posts I've written:

• Another Allegory, a short and rather unusual "fourth wall" story that Kathy Richards published for me.



• Everything I need to know about life I learned watching LOST, which Tammy Hodge was kind enough to share in March, 2010.

Questions:

1. Have you been a guest on someone's blog? (Share a link in the comments so we can visit it!)



2. Who would you want to guestpost on your blog?



3. Would you like to guestpost here sometime?

Share your answers or comments below.

How babies learn: implications for how we tell our story

Used with permission. CC: EraPhernalia

A 2004 study traced the verbal development in 27- and 39-month old boys and girls as a measure of how well they could recall a past event. The researchers found that if the children didn't know the words to describe the event when it happened, they couldn't describe it later after learning the appropriate words [source: Simcock and Hayne].

I found the above quote in an article.

The implications for our work are obvious. Writing, educating, and teaching are instruments of change. If someone can't remember what you said, it can't change them permanently. And even as adults, if the learner can't understand the message, he can't possibly remember the message.

So, do these things:

1. Talk light. Use a common, small vocabulary.



2. Talk simple. The old adage about not writing above a 6th grade level may be on to something. Don't use the word adage.



3. Teach words first. Start with a glossary or primer for anything new or unusual.

Question: What do you do to make sure you can reach your audience?

5 great YouTube distractions

© Maurice Pullin.
Licensed for reuse under Creative Commons License

I love watching stuff on YouTube. You probably do, too. If you do,
you've noticed that there's a lot of stuff. You can waste years of
your life wandering there.

Let me make your life easy. Here are my five favorite things I've ever
seen on YouTube.

1. 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes
   
   Great films about great leaders feature great speeches, powerful and
   inspiring words, words that arouse in the main characters and the
   viewers alike a primal urge to triumph over our adversaries and all
   the evils they represent.
   
   Patton. William Wallace. Mr. Smith (in Washington, not in the Matrix).
   And Fozzie Bear. They're all in here, along with a bunch of others.
   
   And in only two minutes, which makes this the only Cliffs Notes you'll
   ever need when you're looking for some positive reinforcement.
   
   



2. G4TV's flagship Star Trek commercial
   
   Trust me. Anything with Eddie Murphy's brother as Spock is worth
   watching. Also features some Daddy Yankee prior to his endorsement of John McCain.
   
   



3. Steam Trek
   
   Sometimes, a filmmaker's genius makes me very sad that the US
   Constitution forbids titles of nobility. This person derserves
   American knighthood. In an awkward case of Harold Lloyd meets Gene
   Roddenberry, Sisterson and Levy prove that you can be an unknown in a red shirt
   even in black and white.
   
   
   
   
   [Ed.: After writing this, I find to my mild amusement that the two writer/directors ARE British. Forget what I said about knighthood. "We recouped the production costs (about £100) by selling VHS copies of the film."]
   



4. Carl Sagan, "A Glorious Dawn," ft. Stephen Hawking
   
   Sagan's curiously hybridized sort of "agnostic pseudo-spirituality"
   has enthralled "billions and billions" of adherents. Ok, perhaps I
   exaggerate. But the use of footage from "Cosmos" in this talented piece
   of electronica is brilliant. Features a cameo by Stephen Hawking.
   Really. Honest.
   
   



5. LOST, seasons 1-5 in ~8:15
   
   I love the TV show LOST. And I very rarely say that I *love* a TV
   show. (It hasn't happened since "Northern Exposure.")
   
   When I encourage a non-enthusiast to give the show a try, they often
   justifiably counter with "It's too complicated. I'd need to go back
   and watch it from the beginning."
   
   Well, no. Not really. Here's the whole first five seasons in just over
   8 minutes.
   
   
   
   Incidentally, the "Reduced Shakespeare Company" tried to do this too,
   live in London. It was quite good, really, especially for the opening commentary with Lindelof and Cuse. Find that here.

Question: What are your favorite YouTube distractions?