J.C. Hall Put Service and Quality First
If a man goes into business with only the idea of making a lot of money, chances are he won’t .
But if he puts service and quality first, the money will take care of itself.
Producing a first-class product that fills a real need is a much stronger motivation for success than getting rich.
— J.C. Hall
This is a quote from J.C. Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards. J.C. showed up to Kansas City with a shoebox full of postcards in 1910. He had a desire to help people connect with one another. That is still the case today. Hallmark Cards is now run by his grandsons, Don Hall, Jr. and Dave Hall. The Halls still believe in service and quality first and connecting people in an emotional way everyday.
The quote from J.C., in my opinion, shows the heart of lean. Do what is right. Build a quality product that people want and give great service. The money will come. It is a by-product of doing what is right. This is what I take from Toyota when they talk about do whats right and fix the process. The profit will come.
A good example of fixating on making money is most venture capitalist. It is only about the money. They don’t care about the people or the process.
I hope more companies are seeing the value of service and quality in the new economic climate. Right now is the time that a company can distinguish itself through superior service and quality.
Full Disclosure: I work for Hallmark Cards. It is a great company and the Halls are phenomenal people. This quote hits home more because of me working for Hallmark, but I find relevant for any business.
Posted on December 20, 2010, in Customer Focus, Leadership, Misc and tagged Customer, Hallmark, J.C. Hall, Leadership, Profit, Quality, Service. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Beyond Lean 
Amen, Matt. I think the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” illustrates your sentiments quite well. What do we want – George Bailey’s approach or Potter’s? Not that businesses should give away the farm, either. There is room for win-win.
Imagine an economy based on what we can produce of value for people vs. the greed model…
J.C. Hall’s quote above is real in terms of businesses. Business man or business woman should go after the quality service of his/her business not go after the money. If the business has a great quality then more money will arrive. AS simple as that you will find yourself having a small business to big one!
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