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FOCUS
FEATURE STORY
Personal Value
Creation Characteristics –
Your Success Foundation
By Renee Jones & Steve Trecha
Best quality, lowest price, best service, on-time delivery, exceeding expectations. You know the buzz – these characteristics are often a company’s definition of value for their customers. It’s what companies propose to do. The question is, what are the personal value creation
characteristics, PVCC, that make the customer value happen?
We define Personal Value Creation Characteristics as those special behaviors, and often individual tendencies, that create extra value in a company’s products and services. They better serve while creating memorable customer experiences. “It’s what I am and it’s what I do, it’s a personal reflection of me,” offers Renee Jones, Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President, of Volunteers of America Michigan. The VOA is renowned for its relentless efforts
to help those in need across the state and nation.
“An organization’s success is based on how its people interact,
function and how they address the day-to-day as well as the most perplexing tasks”, says Steve Trecha, Integrated Strategies, Chief Results Officer. Your work fills a large part of your life. To be truly satisfied, you want to do great work, including putting forth great customer effort. The reality and opportunity is recognizing and growing personal value creation characteristics that can drive customer success (see Top 10 Personal Value Creation Characteristics graphic for the list). Here are a few examples:
At some point we all become problem solvers. As business people, we should own the pathway to driving our customers’ success. Joel Smith is a forester working in log procurement and sales at Devereaux Saw Mill, located in Pewamo. They harvest, manufacture and globally distribute quality Michigan hardwoods for high-end flooring, cabinets, furniture and millwork.
Smith says, “It’s self-motivation; customers have a broad idea of what they want, yet often they don’t know the specifics, the options or pathways to make it happen.” Introducing forest management as well as a profitable harvest, or simply selecting the correct grades and cuts of lumber are examples of opening doors to customer success. Personal value creation requires a want and need to continually improve knowledge and skills.
Customers expect you to know what you are talking about. “You demonstrate your knowledge by putting in the time and effort to
get to know your customers’ needs and how to best meet them,” Smith notes. Smith goes the extra mile, literally, walking an entire woodlot marking and grading trees. “This is essential in building trust and confidence with the land owner. It confirms that I am the right person for this job,” says Smith.
While Smith is working in the deep woods of Northern Michigan, Zach Pashak, the Founder and President of Detroit Bikes, is manufacturing two-wheeled transportation in downtown Detroit. His passion is apparent. “We manufacture in Detroit, we largely hire Detroit talent, and I live in Detroit,” states Pashak. “I find it disingenuous any other way.” Detroit Bikes’ mission is to encourage cycling by making an accessible, enjoyable bicycle while
14 January/February 2017