DOWNHILL SLIDE:
Have you noticed the quality of service in chain establishments has gone downhill lately? There never seems to be a salesperson or waitress around when you need one. And no more time for idle chatter – no “How are you today?” or “What about this weather?”. Just business. The quality of goods has also slid downward. Items rarely last to their warranty, never mind beyond it. Large appliances like refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, will be replaced several times in a normal family’s lifetime. No need to worry what to do with Grandma’s washer anymore.
While in high school, I worked for a department store chain that at the time held pride and performance in high esteem. During the application process we took a written quiz on how to handle customers. It had to be passed in order to work there. In addition, a class needed to be attended about customer care before you began working. Sadly, this store no longer seems to hold to these ideals, sliding to the “norm” of other department stores.
Later when I worked for a computer manufacturer that has since been absorbed by another, I was exposed to “second sourcing”. This is when a standard component is manufactured by a competitor and used in your computers. These parts would be tested when they arrived. Often the yield of these parts was under 50%. Had there been a software testing glitch on their end? Or had they just shipped parts to meet their quotas?
BRIEF HISTORY
In the March 1991 Forbes Magazine, an article described the sales of two cars: the Chrysler Plymouth Laser and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Chrysler car averaged only 10 sales per dealership, while the Eclipse sold over 100 per dealership.
The interesting thing about this is the two cars were identical, made from the exact same design. The only differences were; the car’s name, the company selling the cars, and the country of manufacture.
PRIDE IN PERFORMANCE
Japanese cars have been known for years as being of better quality than American cars. Why is this? Because they’ve built up their reputation for years by selling quality products. But, where did this embracing of quality come from?
AMERICAN INFLUENCE:
In 1950, Dr. W. Edward Demming, a quality control expert, was sent by General MacArthur to Japan to manage the war ravaged, industrial base of the Japanese economy. Demming taught the Japanese, “total Quality Control Principles, including 14 principles and a core belief which formed the foundation for decisions made in every successful, major, multi-national Japanese corporation to this day. The core principle was: Every employee should have a constant, never ending commitment to consistently increase the quality of their products and every aspect of their business, every single day. The use of this belief would give them the ability to dominate the world’s markets.
AMERICAN IDEALS:
The American way to make profits is to, “Increase volume and cut costs”. And even though Demming, an American, put forth the concept of increasing the quality of what’s being done, and to do it in such a way that quality wouldn’t cost more in the long run, American companies failed to listen. They clung to the outmoded belief that only certain levels of quality can be achieved before costs get out of hand. And ignored the fact that if a quality product is produced, people will wait in line and pay more.
CANI
CANI, or “Constant and Never-ending Improvements” should not only be applied to every American business but can be applied to facets of everyday life. (More on this in another post.) CANI can be applied to business, personal relationships, spiritual connections, health and finances. The idea tiny daily improvements create compounded enhancements can be used to improve most aspects of business and your life.
TIME
Remember the saying “all good things take time”? It’s true. You wouldn’t expect someone recovering from leg surgery to run a marathon the next day. Nor would you expect someone who’s never handled a bow and arrow to win first place in a competition. It has taken years for American quality to degrade to the state it’s in today. If we want to have pride in our products and services once again, it will take time to scrape and scrabble our way back to the top. Would it be worth it? I think so.
DECISIONS
So, should you:
- Buy from a smaller manufacturer who spends more attention on the product than from a large chain who sells it for less?
- Buy locally where you know the vendor and she knows you as opposed to from an out-of-town larger establishment where you remain one in a sea of faces?
- Buy an item because it doesn’t cost much, or buy a quality item costing more?
Only you can answer these questions for yourself. But remember, you get what you pay for.
Resources:
“Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins. If you’re interested in reading either this book or others of his teachings go to www.AnthonyRobbins.com. Or put “Awaken the Giant Within” into your browser and see where you can buy it
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