Secret Service- Not Only a Law Enforcement Agency

Although I’ve only been with Myriad Supply for a little over 90 days, I couldn’t help but notice the myriad (pun intended) of ways the company implements “Secret Service Systems” day-in and day-out.

Upon getting hired at Myriad Supply, I was mailed a welcome package that included, among other goods, the book “Secret Service” by John R. Dijulius, president of John Robert’s Hair Studio & Spa. A few points Dijulius emphasizes throughout the book include going above and beyond, showing appreciation for all clients, and making sure that all our partners and clients have a personal and memorable experience with Myriad Supply.

One of our Account Executives embodied this with one of his clients earlier this year. Daniel Shporin was having a conversation with a client when he heard that the customer’s wife was due in 3 months, in April. He set up a reminder to send him a Myriad onesie around the time of his wife’s due date. Our account executives, in addition to the rest of the team, do small acts like this on a daily basis to personalize the service.

Another take-away of the book that resonated strongly with me as a newer employee was Dujulius’ insistence on establishing an unbreakable Employee Experience Cycle and fostering passionate team members. It only took me a few days to notice how much the employees here not only enjoyed working here, but were proud to work for Myriad. It is this company culture and spirit that caused Dujulius to call keeping employees happy a better marketing technique than keeping clients happy (there’s a reason Myriad Supply has been on Crain’s Top 50 Places to work in NYC for two consecutive years).

In the words of Andrew Carnegie: “Take my building, equipment, all my money, my land, but leave me my people, and in one year I will be on top again”. Part of John Roberts’ corporate mission statement is all long-term employees regarding deciding to work there as one of the best decisions they ever made. Although I am by no standard a long-term employee, choosing to work here is one of the smartest judgments I’ve made. Going well beyond fiscal or superficial reasons, Myriad’s “Secret Service Systems” have created an environment of community, loyalty, and pride.

Another idea from the book I see materialize at the office on a daily basis is teamwork. For example, bonuses are given to all the employees when quarterly goals are reached. Another example of teamwork is how the account executives are divided into two groups, each with a manager. The two teams are encouraged to use both managers as a resource, and go to them for guidance and support on for varying verticals, ranging from healthcare to finance. The Mentor Program is another way Myriad foments collaboration- New recruits are paired up with a Senior Account Executive, enabling the employees to learn from one another. Lunch is sponsored for Mentor Program meetings monthly, to ensure that the employees make good use of the Program as an opportunity to grow.

Dujulius has a list of points to hit on an “Employee Experience Cycle”, which were noticeable to me right away. In addition to the welcome package previously mentioned, all new employees are introduced at monthly meetings to the entire company. Any and all accomplishments are celebrated and applauded at monthly meetings as well. Photos, names, and contact information for new hires are emailed to the entire office, with a note reminding everyone to make the new hire feel welcome. Meetings after the first 15, 30, 60, and 90 days, also listed in the book, were part of my training period as well as goals to be achieved in the first year. Requirements for advanced education, for example, are also encouraged in the book as well as at Myriad. (Tianyu Wei, our E-commerce Data Specialist, recently attended a seminar on becoming a better communicator, where he learned about the importance of physical language, tone, and words… Did you know that only 7% of what someone means can be extracted from his or her words alone?).

I have been nothing but inspired by the way that Myriad executes key “Secret Service Systems” for its clients, partners, and employees. And, there’s good news: If you’re interested in working here, and you should be by now, be sure to check out our latest job openings here.

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Chantelle Attarian is the Client Support Assistant at Myriad Supply. She has been part of the team for 3 months and her favorite fruit is the mango. You can interact with her via her Google + page.