Apple is all the buzz at the moment. Apple’s market cap over took Microsoft’s in May to become the second largest company in America.Speculation is now flying about as to whether Apple can overtake the worldwide market cap leader, Exxon Mobil. It is not likely, but it’s incredible that a company that was such a niche player in the computer industry only a decade ago now reigns supreme.

To get some insight into what makes Apple shine, Fast Company published an article called Invincible Apple: 10 Lessons From the Coolest Company Anywhere.  In it the author suggests the top ten key principles that helped put Apple on top. A number of these principles are relevant for the marine industry and other recreational industries. I want to outline two of these principles – two that I think go hand in hand. These principles are helping us realign our focus and reshape our company as a whole:

Serve Your Customer, No Really

Every company has a slogan similar to the following: “The customer is king”, “Service with a smile” or “World Class Customer Service”.  But we’ve found that serving the customer is not a slogan – it has to become part of the corporate culture. Admittedly we have struggled with this. We found that our struggles ran deeper than just a cute slogan. We had to go to the core of serving the customer and that is focusing on quality. In it’s most fundamental form, “quality” is keeping your promises. The marine management software business is no different than selling boats or repairing air conditioners. There is an interaction with a customer, you (the one that represents the company) makes a promise to deliver some kind of solution. You and the company are on the hook to deliver on that solution – to keep the promise.

Its not enough for Apple to just sell cool, well designed products. They realized as they grew that they needed a support infrastructure to fulfill that promise. According to Fast Company author Farhad Manjoo, “In recent years, companies of all kinds — but especially Apple’s competitors in the computer and phone businesses — have adopted strategies that amount to customer avoidance rather than service. They shunt their customers off to outsourced call centers staffed with underpaid agents who read from scripts, or worse, send them to an online FAQ.” That is why Apple modeled it’s Genius Bar support counters in it’s retail stores after a hotel concierge service. Apple’s analysis showed that concierges frequently received high marks in the level of service they provide because they are typically there when you need them, it’s a face to face experience and you get to relax in a comfortable setting while you discuss dining or tour options with the concierge.

Since we don’t have retail outlets we can’t see every customer face to face. This poses a challenge for us. We must come up with other ways to be as helpful and efficient as we can over the phone or via e-mail. But a number of boat dealers, boatyards and marinas do see customers face-to-face on a regular basis. Marine retailers could emulate some of the Genius Bar ideas by creating a Master Service Desk or some other kind of concierge service to give their customers “free” advice on regular boat maintenance, navigational tips, and general safety advice. I know that some dealers even run regular seminars on these topics. Russo Marine offers Boater Education and Training at it’s Medford, MA showroom.

Everything is Marketing

There is a religious fervor among Apple devotees. Their “Think Different” slogan targeted those who simply didn’t fit into the IBM or Microsoft mold. There ads backed up that notion. But their true marketing prowess goes way beyond slogans. According to author Martin Lindstrom, Apple has a “devotion to symbology”. In other words their most effective marketing is built into the products themselves, from the white earbuds for the iPod, the Mac OS Dock feature, the unibody aluminum construction of the Macbook and even the white packaging inscribed with “Made in Cupertino, CA”. There is a consistency and an attention to simple styling in all of the products they produce.

The lesson in this for us is that we’ve got to be consistent in our in product design, our branding and the experience we provide our customers. Inconsistencies in how our marina software works from module to module diminish the customer experience. We are working to shore up these issues in not only our products, but also in the way the team interacts with our customers. The way your company presents itself to your clients should not only be professional, but also consistent.

The best boat dealerships I’ve visited have rather strict uniform requirements. That doesn’t mean being formal or stuffy, but having the staff wear good quality golf or fishing shirts for instance can go a long way. The other marketing key for Apple is it’s use of systems. They’ve been chastised for being “closed” or “proprietary”. But they’ve designed their products to work like a system. The iPod, iPhone and iPad all use iTunes to manage content. The App Store is where tens of thousands of apps for these devices can be found and users can seamlessly access the App Store through iTunes on their Mac or PC, or from one of the Apple mobile devices.

There is an evolution here as well – iPod owners become iPhone owners who eventually become iPad owners. I have seen some boat dealerships do this very effectively. Galati Yacht Sales is one company that has effectively helped its customers grow into new boats as their needs change. This is done by providing their customers exemplary service during the ownership of their boat and then helping the customer sell that boat while getting them into a new one. The next owner of that boat knows that it’s been well maintained and cared for because it will often stay within the Galati Yacht customer base. They are effectively building a tribe of devotees to their brand.