How About Stimulating Us?

What inspired him to try his hand at Presidential Advisor? He knew many of his small business customers nationwide were getting caught in the “triple squeeze of the new economy;” a steady decline of revenue as a result of fear, customers paying more slowly, “normal lines of credit” tightened due to banking issues. That’s a potential crisis as big as any hurricane and as destructive as any tornado.

 

 Andrew Field of PrintingForLess.com [26:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

No Need to Bootstrap RightNow

One of those companies that really “gets” customer relations and helps their customers deliver it is RightNow Technologies. They deliver customer relations management (CRM) products for companies around the world including Sprint, Hallmark, British Airways and Cabela’s so those companies can deliver better customer experiences to their customers and clients. Founded in 1997, RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, employs more than 700 people, and serves over 1,900 organizations worldwide.

CEO and Founder, Greg Gianforte says that obviously large companies that have lots of customers are prime candidates for their suite of products, but regardless of the size of the company, “delivering an outstanding customer experience can be the single most powerful way for a company to set themselves apart from the competition.”

 

 Greg Gianforte of RightNow Technologies [24:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Less is Much More

Andrew Field, CEO of Printing For Less.com knows all about remarkable customer experiences. They post them on the bulletin board for all their employees to see. And, I didn’t see any “yellowed” ones there.

Field launched Printing For Less (PFL) in 1996, though how he got started sounds a little “fishy.” He and a friend were in their waders, already in the river near the entrance to Yellowstone before his friend mentioned that he was losing his printing job. Knowing Field had a background in printing, he suggested Andrew open a printing shop. It didn’t take much thought (or market research) to jump in with both feet.

 

 Andrew Field of PrintingForLess.com [21:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

At Home in the Water

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. But put that man in a pair of leaky waders and he’ll quit in five minutes.
Nobody knows this better than Simms Fishing Products, the lone manufacturer of waders in the United States, […]

 

 Diane Bristol of Simms Fishing Products: Play Now | Play in Popup

Day 11: Work Where You Live

JACKSON HOLE, WY — The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) put forth a program they call, “KC 2.0″. The idea is that the next generation of employee will chose where they live, then look for a job where they locate. Therefore, in order for Kansas City to attract the “best and brightest” they will have to make the area appear more livable to the twenty-somethings looking for a career.

It’s not just the young folks that want to work where they live.

Day 9: Creating Remarkable Customer Experiences

Bozeman, MT — One of the things I’ve learned over my years of travels is this; if you want to learn and feel more about the place you are visiting, get out there among the locals. I don’t mean go out to dinner at the local version of the same chain restaurant around the corner from your home. I’m talking about hitting the local coffee shop or bar where the talk is local politics in addition to the national perspective. (I know, I know…all politics are local.)

Taste the regional brands and sample the local products. And, if you really want to feel like a local, do your laundry.

Day 8: Straight Shootin’

Another of my impressions of life out here in “the West” is that people will pretty much shoot you straight. Not a lot of B.S., unless you start telling fishing stories. But, that’s true about anywhere.
It’s quite refreshing, actually. Imagine, people telling you like it is, whether or not they are interested in what you’re […]

Day 7: The Devil’s in the Details

BILLINGS, MT — Three National Parks. Sixth new hotel. Seven days out, Eight to go. Twenty business leaders with a passion for their business and a real contribution to their communities. That’s the sum of our trip so far.

There’s a lot to count, on a trip like this. We saw more than a hundred deer yesterday from Spearfish to Hulett, Wyoming. Today we saw that many antelope and even more deer. The miles continue to click by at about the same pace that I think to myself, “What a beautiful country.”

You could have never covered this much ground in the “old days.” Nor could