| Perhaps it's only fitting to mark the passing of one of | | | | successful gym, one would have to accept these |
| my professors, Peter F. Drucker, by meditating on one | | | | customers and make it possible for them to maintain |
| of his favorite, and I believe, most important | | | | their illusions, because these illusions are satisfactions to |
| questions.Whenever my classmates and I would boast | | | | them. Illusions constitute "value," in the Druckerian |
| about our products, our technologies, our specialized | | | | sense.He was fond of telling us how his young niece |
| experience, or say anything at all self-serving, he'd | | | | requested a special gift for her birthday, which |
| swiftly bring us back to reality by noting: "All of that is | | | | provided no functional utility at the time--her first |
| fine, but what is value to your customers?"In other | | | | brassiere. Instead of dismissing this request, he |
| words, it didn't matter if we believed we beat the | | | | understood it as a desire to feel more grown-up, and |
| pants off our competitors by having more branches in | | | | he honored her wish, giving her a truly valued gift, and |
| more places. If we couldn't argue convincingly to the | | | | great joy.Not only do we have to ask the all-important |
| internationally famous Father of Modern Management | | | | value question. We need to re-ask it, if we hope to |
| that our customers agreed with us, those branches, no | | | | keep pace with and to retain our clientele.Realities |
| matter how sparkling and expensive, were of no | | | | change, sometimes suddenly. GM's biggest SUV looks |
| consequence, whatsoever.In fact, by focusing at all on | | | | very different when the price of gasoline spikes. Bally's |
| our own opinions, instead of actively monitoring and | | | | has to stay on top of trends, and offer Pilates or yoga |
| measuring our customers', we err in two ways. We | | | | classes, depending upon what seems to be in demand. |
| waste time and resources looking inward, which is | | | | It can't say, "We've always run dance classes, and |
| decadent, and we insulate ourselves more and more | | | | that's it!"Being guided by customer sensibilities can be |
| from the only people who really matter in | | | | very scary to some businesspeople. It requires us to |
| business-customers-who pay our bills and provide | | | | challenge tradition and preconceptions, to open up, to |
| opportunities.Value isn't always obvious, Drucker would | | | | ask questions, and to renounce authoritarianism. We |
| point out. We may think we're providing one | | | | need to be willing to really understand the viewpoints |
| satisfaction when the customer is really deriving | | | | of others, and to cater to them, to serve them the |
| another, more significant satisfaction to him.Take a | | | | way they want to be served.We need to be prepared |
| modern gym, such as Bally's or 24-Hour Fitness.Their | | | | to abandon our favorite products, the ones that have |
| generally accepted purpose is to "get people into | | | | defined us and nurtured us, when there is the hint that |
| shape," if you ask most of the people who work there. | | | | they no longer deliver value to the customer.That's |
| Certainly, many people buy memberships for that | | | | tough, and that is part of the legacy of Peter |
| stated purpose. But there are lots of other reasons | | | | Drucker.As former GE CEO Jack Welch said, |
| people sign-up.For some, it's a social outlet, for others, a | | | | Professor Drucker had a knack for asking the right |
| sanctuary where they can set their own pace, relax, | | | | question, usually a deceptively simple one, that could |
| and escape the demands of family and co-workers. | | | | add tremendous clarity and value to one's business.Dr. |
| For a few, it's a chance to preen, to show-off their | | | | Gary S. Goodman is a popular keynote speaker, |
| abs or biceps or whatever the muscle de jour | | | | management consultant, and seminar leader and the |
| happens to be.If you observe most members, they're | | | | best-selling author of 12 books, including Monitoring, |
| in no rush to move from station to station. They linger, | | | | Measuring & Managing Customer Service. Gary's |
| and their heartbeats seldom seem to reach that | | | | programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by |
| magical aerobic moment when calories happily burn | | | | numerous universities, trade associations, and other |
| away.If they're pushed by the staff or by other | | | | organizations in the United States and abroad. He |
| patrons to work harder or faster, they rebel, if only | | | | studied directly with Peter Drucker at Claremont |
| silently.They want to get into shape their own way, | | | | Graduate University, for two and a half years, earning |
| which of course, isn't always technically feasible, but | | | | an MBA, in the process. When he isn't consulting, Gary |
| many folks con themselves into thinking that they're | | | | can usually be found in Glendale, California, where he |
| progressing. Their victory is walking through the gym's | | | | makes his home. |
| door, not in becoming an Adonis.To run a financially | | | | |