Every little helps!

Last week Cicero broke the news of his recent epiphany. And that will have come as a shock to you. This week we open with yet another shock. This will be the last time you will read Cicero’s thoughts and opinions in 2009. There is no easy way of breaking this shocking and disturbing news but the good news is that we will be back in 2010 with more insight, wit and wisdom. Hopefully you will be able to hang on in there for a couple of weeks.

But with the Saturnalian and Bacchanalian revels and festivities fast approaching you need a break from the stimulation and thought provocation that Cicero provides you with each and every week. This is a time for fun, for enjoyment and for reflection. And with over a year’s worth of Ciceronic musings you will have plenty to reflect on and to chew over. You will be able to cope. And we will all soon be back together for more of Cicero’s finest. Now that is something to look forward to.

And of course we still have today’s fine words and mind blowing musings to entertain, enthuse and excite you.

And this week’s Thought for the Day starts with a quote and let’s see if you can guess who said it.

‘’what’s important is that you are loyal to your customers rather than your customers being loyal to you’’.

These are the words of Sir Terry Leahy, the Head Honcho at Tesco and Britain’s most admired leader for the umpteenth time, according to Management Today, a glossy mag for Head Honchos everywhere.

What an insight? Cicero is so jealous. And of course Tesco Tel is so right. Get the first part of the equation right and the rest will surely follow. All our businesses no doubt talk about customer loyalty but in many cases we mean customer apathy or indifference and do we really do a lot to earn that loyalty. We take it for granted at our peril.

Look at all the little things that Tesco does very well and you will see that the whole from a customer’s point of view is much better than the sum of the parts. Perhaps Tesco Tel has read these musings and as previously advocated has appointed a Director of Small Stuff.

It is no measure aided and abetted by the data generated by its Clubcard, less a loyalty card, more a data gathering machine. However it uses this data to identify trends, to isolate niches and to develop products and services that allow it to do the right things to demonstrate loyalty to generate loyalty.

Take Tesco Tel’s ‘Finest’ range of quality foods. This came about following the identification that regular shoppers changed habits at important holiday festivals such as Christmas. At these times of the year they would switch to more upmarket brands such as Waitrose or Marks & Spencer. And this insight begat a more upmarket sub-brand to capture increased share of wallet.

Now we might not like the Tescofication of our High Streets but you cannot quibble with the brilliance of Tesco Tel nor argue with his popularity among customers who every day of every week vote with their feet and their wallet and whose loyalty is earned each and every day. So unlike Cicero’s Lords and Masters.

You have to admit it is incredibly smart business.

And so this is your challenge for the New Year, whether you work in the public, private, third or fourth sector, how are you going to show loyalty to your customers? Your resolution for 2010 must be to demonstrate that every little helps and to show this to your people and to your customers. If we can deliver on this we will earn the loyalty and the commitment of all our people and our customers and business success will be delivered.

But one final tip-don’t use the line ‘every little helps’. Cicero cannot be sure about this but he thinks someone else is using it. Innovation might be undiscovered plagiarism but this might be a bit too obvious.

Is it only me?

Am I the only one who will be wondering what kind of Christmas Roger Federer is going to have. He might be the world’s greatest ever tennis player but his Christmas this year is set to be ruined. The poor guy must be on tenterhooks waiting for the other slipper to fall.

Now you might be no doubt thinking that Cicero has had too much mulled wine already and has lost it but think about it.

For past few months Roger has been the face and stubble of Gillette along with his mates Thierry Henry and Tiger Woods. Now you are with me.

First of all Monsieur Henri through careful handling helps the Gauls to the World Cup finals in South Africa. With so much gall, you have to hand it to them. It was almost a close shave but the chance to play at the World Cup Finals must be the best a man can get. But we should point out to M Henri that it is the football world cup. The clue is in the name. And as a consequence there are now more beards in the Erin Isle per head of population than in any other nation.

And then came Tiger, the world’s finest golfer, and never did someone have a more apt name if the news reports are to be believed, giving new meaning to the chants of ‘You’re the man’ and ‘In the hole’, which is of course exactly all Mr Woods was attempting to do. Again for many, though not for Cicero of course, Tiger’s antics (alleged) might be considered the best a man can get but with a net worth of £1billion (alleged) and with substantive pre-nups in place (alleged), it might of course be that Tiger is the best a woman can get.

And so Mr Federer must now be left wondering when and where the curse of Gillette is going to strike again. Cicero hears that Mrs Federer has been checking the pre-nups and the life insurance should lightening strike again.

Indeed so worried is old Cicero about the curse of Gillette that he is now re-considering how to maintain his own clean cut, smooth as a baby’s bum, hirsute-free look. If sponsorship is all about image associations, you can never be too careful. Mind you, shaving with Gillette never did much for Cicero’s football, golf or tennis skills so it might be alright.

Have a great week and see you in the New Year.

Felix dies Nativatis.