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HarperBusiness claimed #131 The Case of the Two-Cent Candy Years ago, I wrote about a retail store in the Palo Alto environs—a good one, which had a box of two-cent candies at the checkout. I subsequently remember that ´little´ parting gesture of the two-cent candy as a symbol of all that is Excellent at that store. Dozens of people who have attended seminars of mine—from retailers to bankers to plumbing-supply-house owners—have come up to remind me, sometimes 15 or 20 years later, of ´the two-cent candy story,´ and to tell me how it had a sizable impact on how they did business, metaphorically and in fact. Well, the Two-Cent Candy Phenomenon has struck again—with oomph and in the most unlikely of places. For years Singapore´s ´brand´ has more or less been Southeast Asia´s ´place that works.´ Its legendary operational efficiency in all it does has attracted businesses of all sorts to set up shop there. But as ´the rest´ in the geographic neighborhood closed the efficiency gap, and China continued to rise-race-soar, Singapore decided a couple of years ago to ´rebrand´ itself as not only a place that works but also as an exciting, ´with it´ city. (I was a participant in an early rebranding conference that also featured the likes of the late Anita Roddick, Deepak Chopra, and Infosys founder and superman N. R. Narayana Murthy.) Singapore´s fabled operating efficiency starts, as indeed it should, at ports of entry—the airport being a prime example. From immigration to baggage claim to transportation downtown, the services are unmatched anywhere in the world for speed and efficiency. Saga . . . Immigration services in Thailand, three days before a trip to Singapore, were a pain. (´Memorable.´) And entering Russia some months ago was hardly a walk in the park, either. To be sure, and especially after 9/11, entry to the United States has not been a process you´d mistake for arriving at Disneyland, nor marked by an attitude that shouted ´Welcome, honored guest.´ Singapore immigration services, on the other hand: The entry form was a marvel of simplicity. The lines were short, very short, with more than adequate staffing. The process was simple and unobtrusive. And: The immigration officer could have easily gotten work at Starbucks; she was all smiles and courtesy. And: Yes! Yes! And . . . yes! There was a little candy jar at each Immigration portal! The ´candy jar message´ in a dozen ways: ´Welcome to Singapore, Tom!! We are absolutely beside ourselves with delight that you have decided to come here!´ Wow! Wow! Wow! Ask yourself . . . now: What is my (personal, department, project, restaurant, law firm) ´Two-Cent Candy´? Does every part of the process of working with us/me include two-cent candies? Do we, as a group, ´think two-cent candies´? Operationalizing: Make ´two-centing it´ part and parcel of ´the way we do business around here.´ Don´t go light on the so-called substance—but do remember that . . . perception is reality . . . and perception is shaped by two-cent candies as much as by that so-called hard substance. Start: Have your staff collect ´two-cent candy stories´ for the next two weeks in their routine ´life´ transactions. Share those stories. Translate into ´our world.´ And implement. Repeat regularly. Forever. (Recession or no recession—you can afford two cents.) (In fact, it is a particularly Brilliant Idea for a recession—you doubtless don´t maximize Two-Cent Opportunities. And what opportunities they are.)
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