When we spoke at the Norwegian Technical University at Trondheim a few years back, we were amazed by the number of Teslas and other electric cars on the road. The best parking stalls on campus were recharging stations, the best parking spots at the best restaurants were recharging stations, and the best parking at the government buildings and the theaters were, you guessed it, charging stations. And, there’s no tax and no tolls for electric vehicles. In other words, the government of Norway has made a commitment to converting the country from gasoline to electric …in a hurry!

So what’s the rush? And why subsidize electric vehicles when they have so much petroleum – and it’s such a large part of their GNP?

A majority of Norwegian voters believe in this principle: Don’t tax what you want and tax what you don’t want. So, if you are concerned with your health, and the health and welfare of your children, for instance, tax carbon and don’t tax carbon neutral transportation.

In Norway most electricity is produced by hydroelectric power. So cars running on that power are truly carbon neutral. Electric cars buyers pay no import tax or value added tax, thus reducing the purchase price by thousands of dollars, making them even more affordable right from the get go.

Operating costs are lower than gasoline powered vehicles because electricity is less expensive. Further, the road taxes for electric vehicles are zero. Road tolls, emission charges, and ferry fees are free. Electric cars can also park anywhere free of charge.

As we like to say, “If you want to make a change, put a buck on it,” or, in this case, a Norwegian Crown!

Simply stated, the Norwegian government has made it cheaper to operate an electric vehicle in order to reduce emissions, improve health, and help to reduce the cost of future electric vehicles by providing such a large customer base for them now. These measures have created a growing market for electric vehicles.

Even though Norway is a big petroleum producing country, they know it isn’t sustainable for several reasons. The resources are being depleted. The proof that burning carbon creates an unhealthy environment is undisputable. The catastrophic effects of climate change due to carbon emissions will bankrupt governments, insurance companies, and businesses alike.

In other words, they know the future is not in petroleum and they are changing their ways today to do something about it. They are not willing to idlily stand by waiting until the time comes when they are forced to change. They want to lead the charge!

This is an interesting contrast to our own country where we have ceded oversight and control of environmental protection and natural resources to the oil interests. In fact, currently in the US, many of these top government positions are held by oil company supporters.

While little Norway leads the way, we here is the US have allowed an “oiligarchy” to dominate our government.  Naturally they will remove subsidies for any power generation that competes with their oil interests. Naturally they will make conducting business as an oil competitor more difficult, and give more breaks to oil producers. As businesses and private citizens, we will pay the consequences which Norwegians are trying to alleviate.

Like any new industry, getting up to scale is the ultimate answer for the electric car industry. They need to compete pricewise, range-wise, and maintenance-wise with gas powered vehicles. The Norwegians believe subsidies and tax breaks are only a temporary step to allow the industry to pass on eventual efficiencies of scale that will make those allowance unnecessary.

They believe that soon, these alternative vehicles will simply cost less, even without the tax breaks. They believe the tax breaks are a wise short-term investment when compared to the incredible cost of climate change on the infrastructure and human health.

We can learn something from the Norwegians? The sooner all of us follow their lead, the better prepared for the future we shall be.

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Can We Get What We Want by Taxing What We Don’t Want? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Then you’ve delivered that experience. Your product was in stock, priced right, and provided exceptional value. But then, something went wrong. Maybe it was a quality control problem. Maybe it was the way the customer was treated by a clerk. Or maybe it was just a misunderstanding. So they called your 800 number to seek a solution.

All that great work you and your team have done to create exceptional customer experience is suddenly at risk. Your customers don’t judge you so much by how well you do when you are doing good as by how well you do when you’re doing badly.

But when you’re doing “badly” who do they call? They call your customer relations people, and how your customers are treated on that critical phone call can make or break their opinion, their loyalty, and their message to friends, relatives and colleagues. Because they have been advocates for your brand, now their personal reputation is on the line and they feel obligated to spread the word about how you handled their problem.

How your customers are treated begins with how you treat your Customer Relations people. Do you see them as “Customer Care” or “Complaint Resolution?” Are they relegated to a lowly status near the bottom of the organization, or are they elevated as the source of current feedback from the customer to keep your products and services relevant?

We think Customer Care is where the rubber meets the road. Complaining customers are gold mines of information and the perfect opportunity to turn disappointment into advocacy. They are already fans and believe that their favorite brand will make things right. Remember, for every one customer who takes their precious time to complain, there are thousands who don’t. They simply buy your competitors’ product. The Customer Care Department makes the most powerful lasting impression, and the customer information they collect should guide your production and marketing people.

So what is your complaining customers’ 800 number experience? Do they spend what seems like an eternity making selections, being shunted around, and repeatedly giving personal data to a recording that never gets to the live representative? Are they abused by long wait times, wrong transfers and drop offs? When we call an 800 number with a complaint, we hope they really are recording it and more importantly, top management listens to not just the dialogue, but the transfers, holds, and drop offs. Chances are you’ll never hear how many of your customers get so frustrated that they just give up because that is not measured.

But when a real person, who understands how important the call is to their company, takes it on the second ring, the results can be much more effective than any advertising. For one thing, you know the caller is outspoken. For another, you know they have already chosen your product. If they are treated like VIP’s, they will sing your praises like never before. And nothing speaks more loudly about a great customer experience than the way your company handled their problem.

Dollar for dollar we think your investment in quick response telephony, adequate call center staffing, generous credits, and solid lines of communication from customer service to production and marketing are your best investments in a positive customer experience.

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post The Customer Experience is Trumped by the 800 Number Experience appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.