first name basis

This blog started as a project for one of my journalism classes.  While doing research for that project, I came across a Charlie Rose interview with J. Crew’s CEO, Millard “Mickey” Drexler.  In that interview Mr. Drexler talked about his conviction that even the CEO of a company should be accessible.  If a customer had an issue with a product, he should be able to talk to someone who actually had the ability to deal with the situation.

Of course, I have never been one to take people for their word.  So I sent an email to “Contact Us” at J. Crew to put Mr. Drexler’s promise to the test and to see if I could ask him some questions for my project.  I explained who I was, the project, and asked him some questions for the blog.  Four days later, when I received an email in response, I was ecstatic.

“Hi Summer – received your email from Contact Us – thanks much for your interest – appreciate you being a “J.Crew fanatic and dedicated customer” – would love to help out – please give me a number where I or my partner Tracy Crane can give you a call to find out a little bit more about the project –

Best,

Mickey”

The J. Crew Men's Shop

To make a long story short, we exchanged a few more emails, and he set me up with a phone interview with Tracy Crane, who oversees Marketing Communications and Customer Experience at J. Crew.  I had a blast talking to her.  We discussed the making of the catalog, our favorite J. Crew pieces, and how she landed the job at J. Crew.  But it was everyone’s personable attitudes and genuine desire to help that really made an impact on me.

Employee at a J. Crew store

There are many things that make a company great, leadership, focus, and money, to name a few.  But leadership, focus, and money will only get you so far if you fail at connecting with your customers and making them feel like one of a kind.  All of the people I have dealt with at J. Crew (through this experience and others) have always been extremely friendly and have focused on my specific needs.  Even though I’ve never met them, we’re always on a first name basis.