Categories: Articles

How To Make The Little Stuff Count

I had two interactions that have turned me into a raving fan and it was simple, small, effective and cost the companies, probably, next to nothing.
Upon suspending my Montreal Gazette subscription for a fistful of days while I head off to NYC the very kind and professional customer service rep asked if I “would like to have my copies of the Montreal Gazette donated?” – brilliant! Heck, I’m not going to use them, the Gazette probably tosses away tons of copies but the thought of mine being donated to someone feels damn good. That one questions adds weight and integrity… and it’s as simple (and brilliant) as “would you like fries with that?” Let’s be honest they can donate them and not tell me, but the act of asking is powerful and works.
Secondly, on a recent stop at a Couche-Tard (Quebec’s answer to 7-11) the cashier asked me if I would like to add $0.25 to my bill and that money would go to a local charity that helps children. I stopped, thought about and said “add $5” (still an embarrassingly pittance). I then began thinking: “how many people would say ‘no’ to twenty-five cents being added to their bill?” Then I realized how quickly those quarters can add up. Another win-win: the company raises big bucks for charity, creates awareness, becomes better community citizens and helps me help out a group I may not have had awareness of. I know where I’m stopping the next time I need a fix of Shrek 2 M&Ms or some Doritos.
Final point: it’s easy to build your brand by doing simple, low-cost acts of kindness. It’s the small stuff that leaves big impressions.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.