Service Revolution in Snooty Industries

"days after taking control, I turned my attention to the firm’s most important asset—its people. It was time for some straight talk and tough love. I had the deepest respect for the expertise and talent of our associates, but I was far less satisfied with the level of service we provided to our clients at every level. “Being knowledgeable,’’ I ex¬ plained, “does not give us the right to be rude.”"

"From now on, Sotheby’s was going to embrace a service mental¬ ity and treat everyone with respect. We were going to introduce the auction experience to a broader audience of consumers around the world and encourage the development of new collectors and con¬ noisseurs. Together we were going to open up and make more trans¬ parent what had been traditionally a closed and unnecessarily intimidating business. In short, we were going to break down the threshold resistance that had been holding us back and stifling the art market for as long as I could remember."

"Here’s where serial vision came in. We didn’t simply want to make existing auctions better. We wanted to change the nature of a hide¬ bound and inefficient business, and make it better. Without turning off our critical dealer customers, we wanted to add some competi¬ tion in the salesroom. After all, just as was the case in our centers, Sotheby’s primary responsibility was to the person selling the goods. It was our job to create the most vibrant and exciting market possible in which they could showcase their merchandise. Passionate individ¬ ual buyers would drive higher auction results and make it more diffi¬ cult for dealers to control the process."