Dr. Joseph Michelli
Award-Winning Author and Speaker

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is an author, internationally sought-after speaker, and business consultant who has been described as "catching what is right in the world and playfully sparking people and businesses to grow toward the extraordinary."

In addition to writing best-selling books about enduring business principles, Dr. Michelli hosted an award-winning daily radio program in Colorado Springs, Colorado for over a decade.  Dr. Michelli transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices through keynote presentations that explore ways to develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on the total customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their life.  In addition to his dynamic and entertaining international keynote presentations, Dr. Michelli provides:  

• CEO consultation
• Group facilitation and team-building strategies
• Creation of open management systems
• Development of customer/employee engagement metrics
• Customized management and frontline training programs

Dr. Michelli's book, The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary, published by McGraw-Hill, regularly achieved bestseller status on the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek Magazine and USA Today lists. He has been featured on television programs such as The Glenn Beck Show and CNBC's "On the Money" and has conducted hundreds of radio and print interviews.

In 2008, Dr. Michelli released a McGraw-Hill book entitled The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. 

He has also written the best-selling business book When Fish Fly - Lessons For Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace with the owner of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.  

Dr. Michelli believes his greatest accomplishment is his ability to learn from the laughter and humor of his children, Andrew and Fiona.

Dr. Michelli's customized programs include:

The New Gold Standard: Leadership Principles for Creating Legendary Customer Experiences (based on Dr. Michelli’s book of the same name) – In this presentation, Dr. Michelli examines how to deliver legendary customer experiences such as those offered by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.  The New Gold Standard presents cutting edge leadership strategies for selection, training, and retention of the “right” staff.  It demonstrates how leaders can drive staff engagement and ownership behavior which ultimately produces transformational customer experiences. Additionally, The New Gold Standard examines strategies for keeping your business relevant to changing customer needs and shifting economic times.  

Among Starbucks "Venti secrets"
that we can all use as guiding principles:

• Principle 1: Make it Your Own!
• Principle 2: Everything Matters
• Principle 3: Surprise and Delight
• Principle 4: Embrace Resistance
• Principle 5: Leave Your Mark

Reducing Anxiety and Refocusing on the Basics: 

Anxiety and fear often immobilize otherwise effective organizations and individuals.  Rather than increasing clarity, focus, and execution, anxiety often produces confusion, distraction, and inactivity.  Dr. Michelli’s presentation offers concrete approaches that turn challenges into strengthened strategic objectives, improved teamwork, and heightened business success. Having studied small and international businesses that  have thrived in adversity, Dr. Michelli shares time-tested insights from both leaders and empowered individual employees.

Now More Than Ever:
The Importance of Customer Experience
in a Tight Economy

Let's face it - consumer behavior has fundamentally changed since the third quarter of 2008.  While some business leaders have decided to drop prices to the lowest possible level, others have sought ways to add value to their existing goods and services. Dr. Michelli presents research on current customer trends which demonstrate the wisdom of adopting a cost-effective commitment to elevating service and customer experience.  Based on data showing that even in these difficult times 50% of consumers are paying more for a better experience and 50% of customers are still leaving businesses because of bad experiences, Dr. Michelli delineates how to strategically design a relevant experience targeted to customer retention and acquisition of your competitors' disgruntled customers.  And he shows how to make cost-conscious decisions that drive customer loyalty and increase customer spend.

Differentiating Yourself from the Competition –
a Low Cost/High Touch Approach:

With changing consumer behavior, businesses frequently find themselves reducing marketing and training budgets.  In many cases, the workforce itself has had to be trimmed.  So how can a company maintain the loyalty of its best employees and its customer base when resources are limited? Dr. Michelli emphasizes cost neutral strategies for creating memorable and transformational staff and customer experiences.  Whether it is through sharing “wow service” stories,  offering “just –in –time training” ,or  increasing “collaborative problem-solving,” Dr. Michelli helps employee’s at all levels of an organization understand how service excellence (directed to subordinates, co-workers, and customers)  is a low cost/high touch approach to brand differentiation and long-term business sustainability.

The Road to Practical Innovation

Innovation is a daunting word. In this presentation, Dr. Michelli demystifies the innovative process. By exploring the inside (ideas of staff) and outside (benchmarking other businesses) lanes, Dr. Michelli demonstrates how your business can gain a competitive advantage in creative product development and service delivery. Dr. Michelli shows how to effectively elicit and implement staff-generated ideas while also looking for best practices both inside and outside of your industry. Dr. Michelli offers structured and advanced innovation strategies that lead to results-based breakthroughs.

Sustainable Business - The Art Focusing on Your Existing Customer

Conservative estimates suggest it costs 6 times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one.  When consumers cut back on their spending patterns, it is all the more important to focus on customer retention.  Opportunities also exist to identify the "as yet unmet needs of your current customers" so you can offer solutions to meet those needs and increase your customers' desire to spend more money at your business. Here, Dr. Michelli helps audience members understand and calculate annual customer purchase value, and annual customer referral value. He also discusses ways to create solutions that will enhance the life of the customer, so existing customers spend more and refer more often.  By identifying the drivers of loyalty, Dr. Michelli helps audience members understand how to allocate limited financial and staff resources for maximum customer experience return.

The Art of Anticipation

Fulfilling customers' needs leads to satisfied customers; but satisfied customers are a discount coupon away from being lured away by a competitor. Dr. Michelli examines distinctions between service that is based on the concept of fulfilling a stated customer need versus one that is dedicated to anticipating the unstated needs of those you serve. He further shares ways for service professionals to know how to improvise to produce wow experiences that are consistent with overarching business objectives.


Service Professionalism – Elevating the Bar 

Service cultures don’t happen by accident. To elevate the bar of service to a new standard, Dr. Michelli shares how businesses such as The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the Pike Place Fish Market enculturate service professionalism and celebrate service excellence. By showing how effective leaders manage outcomes of extraordinary service, Dr. Michelli demonstrates how to produce constructive empowerment and a culture where individuals take pride in the art, skill, and benefits of serving others.

"When Fish Fly: Lessons from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market"

"John Yokoyama and Joseph Michelli explain the secrets to making the success of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market come alive in your work and life. These are principles that work. You can energize your employees and delight your customers by modeling the fabulous ideas that come from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market."
Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager

When Fish Fly shares insights into the underlying principles and amazing transformation of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market. Excerpting from his book of the same name, Dr. Michelli reels in the complete fish story examining core principles that create Pike Place Fish's uniquely vital and creative culture. A culture that leads to excellent customer service, legendary employee morale, a fun and energized work environment, and ultimately makes a "World Famous" difference in the lives of those they serve.

This presentation offers a cohesive strategy for achieving world famous results for owners, managers, front-line workers, and customers alike. If Pike Place Fish can achieve world fame from a small storefront, with zero advertising in a smelly, physically arduous profession, just think what is possible for your company!

Own it and They Will Come

Who delivers compelling experiences that draw customers?  The short answer is everyone in the business!  Dr. Michelli's keynote challenges each audience member to take an ownership stake in their business to assure its long-term viability.  By making distinctions involving varying levels of employee engagement (owners, renters, and squatters), Dr. Michelli helps redefine the role of every employee to being that of an "equity generator."  He demonstrates that every employee affects the engagement level of colleagues and contributes to positive or negative customer experiences.  Dr. Michelli shows how a single employee can change a culture, lift morale, innovate breakthrough products, create customer evangelists, and even save a business.  This inspirational presentation is an impassioned yet optimistic call for strong action in these turbulent times.

Travels from: Denver, CO

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