“Make your people your brand…”  – Lee Cockerell, Creating Magic

Every company has a recognition program that “rewards the behavior they want to see”.  Disney has the Great Service Fanatic Card, Wynn Las Vegas has the OneMoreStep Card (you’re welcome Mr. Wynn), Marriott has the Marriott Awards of Excellence, etc.  All of these programs reward team members for going OneMoreStep while motivating repeat behavior through good old-fashioned “storytelling”.  Tell the stories of people making magic, and soon more of your staff will follow suit with their performance.  Simple recognition.  Great programs.

Sonny Ritacca, a close friend of mine, recently called me fired up about his company’s new marketing initiative.  Sonny and I met while we both were on an internship at the mothership ten years ago.  So we share that common bond and passion for making magic.   He is a Regional Sales Manager at Avis Budget Group in Chicago.

Here’s proof that going OneMoreStep in any industry, any job, anywhere…can make an impact…

Avis Rental Car is building an entire marketing campaign around their employees going OneMoreStep! Just this month, Avis launched The Letter Box: Stories From our Renters; an ad campaign consisting of actual, real life Guest letters that compliment Avis employees’ legendary We Try Harder service culture.  Not only are they using storytelling to reward, recognize, and motivate their teams; they are literally making their people their brand.

A strategic OneMoreStep…on many levels:

1.     Avis employees go OneMoreStep, making magic for their Guests at all costs.

2.     Avis leadership goes OneMoreStep by recognizing employees for making magic.

3.     Avis executives go OneMoreStep, by not only “selling” their We Try Harder service culture, but also by actively advertising the proof! Real life Guest letters!

4.  Guests are happy.  Employees feel valued.  Avis stock price goes up.

The most important part of this whole program is: not the slogan, not the innovative use of Twitter to promote the ads, nor its catchy tag lines…it’s the IMPACT that extraordinary service has on Avis guests.

That, my friends, is what it’s all about…going OneMoreStep when it’s least expected truly makes an impact on people’s lives…MAGIC.

Bob Noll, Debbie Jones, Leonard Marshall, and Adrian Rutty all made somebody’s day…maybe even their year; working customer service for a rental car company.  How can you make an impact in people’s lives in your everyday routine?

Simple… 

When you think you’ve done enough…go OneMoreStep.  You’ll make magic every time.

Taylor