Issue 1 · Draft · 5 min read
The Field Still Tells the Truth: What Four Decades in Business Taught Me About Growth
By Joe Colangelo, Calgary, Alberta
Why the field matters
I have spent four decades in business, from retail and loyalty to energy, office interiors and now AI. The one habit that has held up through all of it is simple: go where the customer is, and listen to the people who serve them every day.
DRAFT PLACEHOLDER: Joe: add one or two paragraphs in your own words on why staying close to customers and frontline operations matters. A specific moment from a store, a site visit or a conversation works best.
A lesson from retail and loyalty
Much of my career was spent in retail and customer loyalty, including my years with Petro-Canada and the Petro-Points program.
DRAFT PLACEHOLDER: Joe: describe one real lesson from your retail and loyalty work. What did you see, what did you change, and what did it teach you? Please use only details you are comfortable publishing.
Three questions to test a strategy in practice
A strategy that reads well in the boardroom still has to work on a Tuesday afternoon at the front counter. Before committing, I like to ask:
- Can the people on the front line explain it in one sentence, in their own words?
- Would a customer notice the difference, and would they care?
- What will we measure in the field, not just on the spreadsheet, to know it is working?
DRAFT PLACEHOLDER: Joe: confirm these three questions or replace them with your own.
Where AI fits
As Chief Operating Officer of StoriBot AI, I spend a lot of time on how AI can help businesses understand what customers are really saying. Used well, it does not replace time in the field. It helps you hear more of it, and decide faster.
DRAFT PLACEHOLDER: Joe: add a short, practical example of how AI can help a business understand customers or make a better decision.
Your turn
I would like to hear from you. What have you learned from the front line of your business? Is there a topic you want me to take on in a future issue? Reply to this email or write to me at joecorepurposesolutions@gmail.com.