Photo credit: David Stluka Photography
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Photo credit: David Stluka Photography
Robin Crow, founder of Nashville, Tenn.-based Dark Horse Recording and former recording artist himself, gave an electrifying keynote presentation during the National Wood Flooring Association 2014 Wood Flooring Expo's Opening General Session luncheon.
He began the keynote with a rowdy guitar performance that had him tapping the strings while climbing on top of a table in the middle of the audience, then told the audience the story about Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, which crashed into the Everglades after the crew became preoccupied with a minor maintenance issue. In the crew's obsession with the little issue, they didn't notice the beeping that signified altitude loss. They didn't notice until it was too late, and the plane hit the ground, killing 101 of the 176 people on board.
Mission-critical problems are far more important than trivial nuisances, Crow said, and the mission critical problems for any business are: adapting to change, focusing on customer loyalty and creating a company culture of passion through employee praise and recognition.
Adapting To Change
Navigating through all the complexities of a business boils down to being able to creatively innovate and problem-solve, Crow said.
When Crow started Dark Horse Recording 20 years ago, the industry in Nashville was booming. Garth Brooks, he said, was selling more copies than the Beatles.
The wells were about to dry, though. In the late 1990s, the digital revolution struck and sent the recording industry into a tailspin. Major recording studios were going bankrupt left and right, Crow said.
That his business is strong today is a testament to his ability to adapt to the change and innovate. How did he do it?
Customer Loyalty
Crow gave a memorable example of one simple way he created customer loyalty: He'd make sandwiches for his clients, and his clients raved about them. One day, he was apprehensive to tell Faith Hill's manager that he was going to have to bump the studio rate in the middle of production, but Hill herself told him the sandwiches alone were worth the increase in cost.
Crow had an epiphany. It wasn't the high-tech equipment he provided for his clients or the soundproofing. He realized he wasn't in the recording business, he was in the customer service business, he said. Increasing customer loyalty was how he'd weather the digital download storm.
He began investing in comfy lounge furniture, meals and drinks, DVDs for clients to watch, he started serving his clients BBQ-it was all about providing them with an unforgettable experience.
"I can tell you so many years later that these changes have been the key to keeping our business alive and thriving," Crow said.
Find ways to exceed your client's expectations, he said.
Creating a Company Culture of Passion
There's nothing that will light your organization on fire more than enthusiastic employees, Crow said, but how do you get there? By constantly praising and recognizing your employees and by keeping your house clean of any bad eggs who gossip, use work time for personal ventures or cheat the company of money.
Crow ended, fittingly, by striking the opening "cord" of the NWFA Expo with another guitar solo.