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The Case of the Two-cent Candy
Years ago, I wrote about a retail store in the Palo Alto environs, a good one, that had a box of two-cent candies at the checkout. I said I remembered the gesture of the two-cent candy as a symbol of all that is Excellent at that store. Dozens of people who have attended seminars of mine have come up to remind me, as many as 15 years later, of the two-cent story—that apparently had a sizeable impact on how they did business, metaphorically and in fact, from retailers to bankers to plumbing supply house owners.
Well, the two-cent candy has struck again—in the most unlikely of places.
Singapore's "brand" for years, and ever so successfully, has more or less been "the place that works." Its monumental operational efficiency in all it does has been a matchless attractant to businesses of all sorts. Faced with challenges from all about, Singapore has decided—with determination as usual—to "re-brand" as an exciting/"with it" place as well as one that works. (I was part of an early re-branding conference, a couple of years ago, that also featured the likes of Anita Roddick and Deepak Chopra and Infosys's Narayana Murthy.)
Singapore's fabled operating efficiency starts, as indeed it should, at ports of entry—notably the airport. Clearing Immigration, retrieving baggage and speeding downtown are unmatched anywhere in the world.
And ...
Immigration in Thailand, three days before my Singapore visit last week, was a royal pain. Needless to say, entering Russia some months ago was a royal royal pain. To be sure, and especially after 9/11, Immigration in U.S. airports has not been something you'd mistake for Disneyland.
Singapore, circa August 2006. Immigration:
The entry form was a marvel of simplicity.
The lines were short, very short, with more than adequate staffing.
The processing was simple and unobtrusive. (I was photographed, as we in the U.S. do with/to "foreigners," in Bangkok.)
And:
The Immigration Officer could have easily gotten work at Starbucks; she was all smiles and courtesy.
And:
Yes!
There was a little candy plate at each Immigration portal!!!
The message in a dozen ways:
"WELCOME TO SINGAPORE, TOM! WE ARE DELIGHTED YOU ARE HERE!"
Wow!
Wow!
Wow!
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Comments
tompeters! company/website = Zillion x $.02 in Value & Talent
Posted by sean at August 8, 2006 2:56 PM
Bravo....and thanks for the reminder. "Sweet candies", in any form, always work.
Posted by Kate at August 8, 2006 3:49 PM
Sean,
I heartily agree with you on this one!
Tom, these posts are awesome - inspiring, philosophical, challenging, urgent, generous.
To pod or not to pod is perhaps more about brand (i.e. TPC) than about communication - at least for now. But, as one who listens to you in the car (on tape/CD) when I need to turbocharge my approach to the day, I can imagine how powerful a medium podcasting could be for your thoughts. On the other hand... as you say, the medium of blogging lends itself to succinct reflections, all the way up to mini-essays.
Either way, thanks - these posts definitely exemplify 'dramatic frenzy of value creation'!
Posted by Stephen Spencer at August 8, 2006 3:56 PM
These kinds of dramatic differences can occur even within the same government or organization. For example, immigration in San Francisco (and/or LA) has always been a nightmare for me. The lines are long. The officers are rude. They typically scowl and bark out personal questions. No matter how law abiding one might be, they have a knack for making you feel like a criminal.
I assumed this was the case with all US immigration points. But last week I returned from Japan via Hawaii (Honolulu airport) and was amazed. There was literally no line. None. I walked directly to an immigration desk. The officer smiled and was friendly. He asked the same sorts of questions, but without sneering or making me feel like a terrorist in waiting. He was quick and efficient and in a moment I was on my way.
I left muttering, "why can't SF & LA duplicate this kind of service?"
Posted by AJ Hoge at August 8, 2006 3:59 PM
Wow - That IS customer care!
'Emotional connection' is what I now call it rather than ‘customer care’ which sounds ‘old hat’ to me. And of course I love the reference to 'simplicity' in Singapore customs - if only we could learn how to deal with queues over here ... never mind.
My vacation beckons – need it badly - best wishes to all my friends and even any enemies I have (hope not) on TP Blog – this is a time of understanding and forgiveness :-)
I will be watching from Malta but not posting comments - no doubt some will be delighted with this news :-)
Posted by Trevor Gay at August 8, 2006 4:49 PM
and Tom, you mercifully did not touch on the process to get a visa to many countries before you show up...
I wrote a post about what the US and India do to each other's citizens...and it's worse in so many other places...
http://dealarchitect.typepad.com/deal_architect/2006/05/globalization_r.html
Posted by vinnie mirchandani at August 8, 2006 4:58 PM
Here's a thought: why not expand the 2-cent candy idea from customers to... employees?
Posted by Mark JF at August 9, 2006 2:41 AM
Hi Tom,
Recently got to know that you are heading to India soon…? Be prepared to grab a book or two to read while you hold your horses at the Immigration counter indefinitely. Wish more people like you rant about our inefficient Indian Immigration dept. I guess the system needs a major overhaul NOW!
Posted by K.Sriram at August 9, 2006 2:41 AM
and by the way...HK Immigration rocks!!! (Me personally NEVER had any such bad experiences with the HK Immigration Dept)
Posted by K.Sriram at August 9, 2006 2:43 AM
My brother has been through the Singapore airport numerous times lately, either for layovers on the way to Malaysia or for business in Singapore. He is a marathoner, and he says the Singapore airport is also perfect for running. He goes to the airport health club, locks his clothes in a locker, and then the terminal makes for a great course.
Posted by Steve Yastrow at August 9, 2006 7:06 AM
I think the two cent candy only works if there is already a culture of caring. You have to establish your caring credibility quotient in order for the two cent candy to be effective.
Posted by GraceAnn at August 9, 2006 10:54 AM
I’ve been thinking about 2 cent candies and Singapore ever since I returned from there on Thursday, right before this article was posted. What more is there to say about Singapore? Everything is simple. Everything is in order. There is apparently no crime. Steve said I lock up my luggage before running in the airport. Not true. It doesn’t need to be locked up. I just set it on a shelf in the health club. By the way, how many airports have health clubs and hotels inside of security so you don’t need to go through immigration or customs on long layovers? Singapore is the only one I know of. Simplicity that caters to the customer.
The real tickler from the Singapore story is simplicity. I have been struggling with making my life simple for a long time. It is hard. My current philosophy that I am trying to execute relates to a writing analogy. Bullets, not text. How can we make everything in our life bullets and not text? Is that how Singapore makes everything so simple? There is a two cent candy analogy begging to be explored. Think about our jobs for a second. I know my job is based on keeping track of many many facts, which in some cases have associated actions, whether they are mine or someone else’s. Actions always have a date. I believe most everyone’s job has similar attributes. The only answer is to distill everything into two-cent bullets. Short. It takes time to make things simple and short, but it is worth it. Two cent bullets are sort of like two cent candies. There is a famous quote that has been attributed to Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain (among others): “Sorry for the long letter, I didn’t have time to make it shortâ€. Two cent bullets take time to create but the payback in simplicity is worth it. Same with two cent candies.
Posted by Phil Yastrow at August 15, 2006 8:34 AM