Something Fishy Is Going On

We recently had two different customers come to our store to buy life-size fish pillows, gummi fish, and other fish-related items. Naturally we assumed these were gifts for fishermen, but when we offered giftwrapping both women explained with great enthusiasm that these items were for their workplace! They said they were taking part in some sort of "fish" program that is magically transforming their employees' attitude toward work. Okay, We'll bite – what is this all about?

A: You probably couldn't find a more unlikely source for good business philosophy than a fish market, one of retailing's most messy, smelly environments. But a whole school (pardon the pun) of business management has come out of a real fish market in Seattle called Pike Place Fish, known for the upbeat, sometimes silly attitude of its workers. A video showing the Pike Place Fish salesmen throwing fish through the air and chanting, in unison, "One salmon flying away to Minnesota," has caught the imagination of corporate trainers around the country, and spawned (sorry) a whole industry based on Fish! training.

The basic philosophy of the Fish! program, which is previewed on the Web site www.fishphilosophy.com, can be summed up in these four points:

1. Choose Your Attitude— Bring your best self to work.
2. Play — Have fun while you work.
3. Make Their Day — Include your customers in your "play."
4. Be Present — Show consideration for one another, and your customers, by being fully engaged in your work.

It's hard to argue with the motto, "Work Made Fun Gets Done." The huge popularity of the Fish! program arises from the fact that most work is not fun, and that most employers do not encourage their employees to enjoy their jobs. While it may be hard to imagine how some simple platitudes can improve the working environment in a serious business setting, State Farm Insurance and Verizon are among major corporations playfully throwing stuffed fish around during training sessions these days.

If these businesses can try to make work fun, those of us in the gift industry — which is based on the concept of marketing good feelings — should have an easy time of it. But you can't just tell employees to come to work with a positive attitude, or direct them to have fun and focus on customers by being fully present. You have to get them involved in the process.

One of the tenets of the Fish! approach is getting staff members excited about the program by asking them to brainstorm ideas for its implementation. Only then will they really buy into the idea. The team building that comes from developing ideas for implementing the Fish! concept is an essential part of the program's success.

I spoke with a man whose telecommunications office is using Fish! as a motivational program, rewarding employees for the number of fish stickers they receive by going the extra mile helping customers or fellow employees. While it may sound a bit juvenile, he said that the workers in his office love the new attitude and look forward to receiving paid time off, fish shirts, and other rewards when their fish ponds fill up. He said that one reason the employees are so enthused about the program is that they were given the opportunity to invent the reward system themselves, and can give each other "fish" whenever they wish.

The Fish! video may not be within the price range of your retail store — it sells for $590, and rents for $200 a week — but you can get the basics of the Fish! story by reading the short (and rather simplistic) parable about Pike Place Fish in Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen. If the $19.95 price tag seems high for such a small book, just consider it an investment in the well being of your staff and customers.

Q: Our small help-wanted ads in the classifieds used to pull in all the candidates we needed, but now we barely get a nibble. I'm afraid our little ads are getting lost among the bigger ones being placed by the chain stores, but we can't afford to spend a lot of money advertising for employees. Any suggestions?

A: The competition to find good employees is fierce, and a real boon to newspapers selling classified ad space. Despite the alternatives of the Internet, radio, and job fairs, help-wanted ads are still the primary source of job information in our society.

You will find that placing a large ad, with your logo and lots of white space to help draw attention to it, is indeed quite costly. However, you might be able to run the ad fewer times if it is larger and draws more applicants right away. You can also check into placing a display ad in the regular part of the paper. This will usually be less expensive than placing the same size display ad in the classifieds, and might draw attention of those who hadn't thought about changing jobs, or who might be willing to take on a second, part-time position.

Take a look at the wording you use in your classified ad. Usually you are paying per word, so naturally you should use as few as possible. But the help-wanted ad needs to "sell" the job, and your store, to potential applicants. Like any other advertisement, it should be enticing, motivational, and use key words, such as "exciting," "flexible," and "opportunity," that will appeal to job seekers. If you are able to offer some benefits, be sure to mention them.

IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, took an inventive approach in a recent help-wanted display ad for its Vancouver store. The headline started out as a spray-painted question "What's the story?" but then "the" was crossed out and changed to "What's your story?" The rest of the ad went on to mention that one of their parking lot cart collectors became a manager, so, "You never know where a job at IKEA will lead — it's really up to you." The word "you" was emphasized throughout the ad.

Just as your retail advertising should focus on your customers' needs and how you can solve them, your help-wanted ads should focus on the applicants' desire for a great job, and how you can provide it.