Shep Hyken interviews Mike Grande, the founder and CEO of Rock Out Loud and The Staten Island School of Rock. They discuss Mike’s successful philosophies of providing an outstanding experience to his customers. The Interview with Mike Grande:Focus on a simple growth philosophy: to grow your business one customer at a time. If you do your job right, you will earn loyalty and then your customers will help your business grow by recommending your business to friends and family.Know the real purpose of your business and how it can impact your customers. To Mike, music is secondary at his school. He and his fellow teachers—called “coaches”—focus on creating leaders and building self-confidence in their students using music as a tool.Change the customer’s state of mind—break the customer’s preoccupation when they walk through your door or call you. For example, whenever Mike’s students enter one of his schools, a motion detector triggers a crowd chant to pump them up and prepare them for a stellar lesson. Prime your customers in a similar way to ensure their interaction with you is the best it can be.Personalization is a vitally important concept in business. Consider giving your customers personalized gifts to show appreciation for their loyalty. Don’t brand the gifts or turn them into a sales ploy; this is an opportunity to insert some humanity into a service interaction. Have the mindset of “this gift is the least I can do for a loyal customer.”It’s crucial for everyone you work with to be on the same page when it comes to your mission statement. Everyone must be in alignment with the vision of the company, and there needs to be total buy-in from all employees. This comes from creating, cultivating, and defending your company culture.Quote: “For the leader of an organization to be truly successful, you must know your ‘why’ and your mission.” – Mike Grande About: Mike Grande is the founder and CEO of The Staten Island School of Rock and Rock Out Loud. When he’s not teaching or playing music, he is the CTO and a Certified Ethical Hacker for Owl Rock. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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