Chris McCormick was first drawn to L.L. Bean because it was a family-owned business and built on a love of the outdoors. Mr. McCormick became the company’s Assistant Advertising Manager in 1983. In the 18 years that followed, he earned a succession of promotions: in 1991, he became Vice President of Advertising and Direct Marketing; in 2000, he became Chief Marketing Officer; and, as of May 2001 — upon Leon Gorman’s move to Chairman of the Board — he became the first non-family member to take on the title of President and CEO at L.L. Bean, Inc.

What incentives, if any, do you offer employees who provide exceptional service? What qualities do you look for in assessing and hiring candidates?

We look for friendly, positive people who are down-to-earth, share a love for the outdoors, and have a sincere interest in helping customers.

Do you believe that retail in general, and L.L. Bean in particular, provide attractive career opportunities for young people today? How can you — or any other retailer, for that matter — ensure that your employees are consistently good ambassadors for your company?

At L.L. Bean, we have the advantage of a legendary brand that is admired far and wide. We encourage our employees to use our products and participate in outdoor activities. In addition to vacation time off, we offer employees “outdoor experience days,” and have an employee use room so they have firsthand knowledge of our products. We are very fortunate to have a brand that makes people want to be part of it themselves.

You started your career in marketing, and you’ve worked for L.L. Bean since 1983. Have you held any other positions in retail? How did you get where you are today?

I have held a variety of jobs in marketing and administration in other companies, but all of my retail and multi-channel experience came while at L.L. Bean. My own professional growth has come from a desire and ability to see and take advantage of opportunities to grow the business. This is a valuable skill and is something we continue to look for in new talent.

It has been said that attitude is more important than an education in the fundamentals of retailing to drive success in one’s career. Do you agree? Why or why not?

To be good in retail you have to be good with people, so yes, attitude is critically important in maintaining a positive friendly relationship with customers. Yet, one cannot underestimate the importance of education. Retail is getting increasingly sophisticated and complex. The demands of the multi-channel environment require bright people to manage the challenges of so many disciplines: operations and fulfillment, information systems, marketing, product development, and sourcing, to name only a few.

What characteristic is most important for success in a retail career?

In addition to attitude and education, flexibility and adaptability are also very important. In my time at L.L. Bean, we have gone from being an expert cataloguer with one store in Maine, to a multi-channel international enterprise. The competition in retail is fierce and if you don’t adapt to what’s going on in the marketplace you’re done. New media, social media, and the world of the Internet in general, have been huge game changers. Everybody has a voice and this puts even greater pressure on us as we compete while still trying to maintain a compelling value proposition through relevant products, price, quality, convenience, and service. To come out on top you will need to experiment, take some risks, and experience failure. The sooner a person can get comfortable with that the better off he or she will be.

What advice can you share with students and young professionals on how to advance in the industry?

Build a portfolio of experience, starting with the customer experience, and obtain as much cross-functional exposure as possible in order to understand the breadth and depth of the multi-channel retail environment. You won’t succeed if you don’t know all the appropriate touch points of the customer experience. But once you gain that knowledge, you will start to understand why a customer is or is not returning to you for his or her future needs.

To read more about L.L. Bean, and their award-winning customer service strategies, visit the NRF Retail’s BIG Blog.

If you think one sales associate can’t make a difference, take five minutes and watch:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A few lines that really stuck with me:

“Everyone’s having a lot of fun creating memories… A wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the store.”

At the end of the video, a question is asked: “Will you be a Johnny today?”

I’d also like to know: Have you ever encountered a Johnny? Share with us your “Johnny the Bagger” story.

Don’t they look happy? That’s Zappos letting employees be themselves.
photo from Jake Chessum, Inc.com

The company, and the CEO, have been profiled in virtually every business and trade publication. Everywhere you turn, there’s an article on how the company has sky-rocketed to fame and fortune (Amazon recently bought the company for over $800 million). Just a week ago, I saw that New Yorker magazine published a thorough inside look about the company.

Then, a colleague of mine forwarded me a slideshow on Inc.com, highlighting the company’s best practices in customer service and employee engagement. There were five simple points (view the slideshow for more details):

1. Try everything — such as offer free shipping, free returns, have 24-hour (attentive) customer service
2. Let people be themselves — allow employees to make decisions without consulting managers
3. Get serious about training — require a rigorous training regimen for new hires and long-term employees
4. Open up — encourage employees to Tweet, give customers (fans?) tours of company headquarters
5. Get happy — bring joy to customers and employees

Tony Hsieh is rumored to be writing a book, tentatively titled Delivering Happiness. Hsieh tells the New Yorker, it will focus on a “combination of Zappos, the culture, core values, and the science of happiness.” When core values include: Create Fun and a Little Weirdness, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, and Embrace and Drive Change — yes, those are things I can’t get enough of.