Listen to the 3 minute radio broadcast to hear how the Greensboro, NC College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving teams WOW’ed the host of the Rock 92 morning show with a stress-free moving experience.

Click Here to Schedule Your STRESS-FREE Moving Estimate

We all know how good it feels to strike a line through an item on your “to-do” list. Whether it’s on your smart phone or, if you’re like my mom, a neatly folded square of paper with a seemingly foreign language combination of short hand and chicken scratch that’s less legible than a CIA-coded document.

It would feel even better to cross out the last item on the list. You know, number 57 Bazillion. Unfortunately, it can be nearly impossible to get that far in a single day. That is, unless you can learn the secret ingredient in saving time - delegation.

Say it with me, “del-uh-gay-shun.” A lot of people have trouble with this word (not so much saying it, but definitely doing it).

Here are some questions people usually ask about delegation:

What’s the best way to delegate? How do you decide what needs to be done by you and what you can outsource to someone else? And, most importantly, what if you don’t have anyone to delegate work to?

Having College Hunks CEO and Co-Founder Omar Soliman as a guest blogger got me asking these questions. After all, he’s running a national brand, doing a million things on the side, spending time with his family, and still has time to blog. So, I investigated for myself. Here’s what I found…

Anything can be delegated. It’s up to you to decide what you would feel more comfortable doing yourself. Then, when you decide what you don’t have time for or don’t care to do, just pick someone who you can trust to do a good job.

I know, I know. How do you know who to trust, right?

Don’t worry, I will feed you the knowledge I gained through the power of research, my baby birds.

TimeDog.com is by far the best and most innovative site out there that I happened across in my journey to find more time in the day. While there are things they clearly proclaim they will not do, the multitude of tasks they’re willing to tackle is incredible. 

My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Hi everyone. As always, I’m Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving.

For the past several weeks, we’ve been talking all about how College Hunks “WOW’s” our clients and staff. I’ve even shared my own personal “WOW” story. But, since the ultimate goal is to have the “WOW” movement extend beyond our own company (and beyond our industry, for that matter), I wanted to see what other companies are doing to surprise and delight their customers.

I found some that are really doing a great job, and some that, well, aren’t quite understanding it. Here’s what I mean:

The ones who get it are the ones who actually live the “WOW,” just like Ignacio Torano in the example from last week’s blog.

Zappos.com is a great example. When you call their call center, they want to do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable. They don’t have scripts, they just talk to you like an old friend. I heard one story where a customer called in and enjoyed the conversation so much, he stayed on the line… for 8 hours!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t even like talking on the phone with people I actually know for more than 10 minutes at a time, let alone staying on the line with a call center for that long.

The point is that Zappos gets it. They aren’t just talking “at” customers, they’re talking to them. And they don’t view them as “customers,” for that matter. Instead, they look at them as friends.

On that note, there are some companies that just don’t get it, or that have tried to act like they get it, but really don’t.

Now, I’m not going to call anyone out. I mean, I guess if they’re trying, then that’s better than not trying at all. Still, I’ve been listening to friends tell me about different companies that make claims in advertisements and then fall short in their actual relationships with customers. It amounts to a lot of talk and not much walk.

At first, when I’d hear these types of stories about companies failing to “WOW,” I’d get discouraged. But, eventually, I realized that no one said this movement would be easy. If the Zappos and the College Hunks of the world continue on the right path, then at some point these other companies are going to get dragged into “WOW-ing,” whether they like it or not.

I’m convinced that, in the future, customers will demand over-the-top service. They’ll reward companies that care enough to develop a real relationship and punish the ones that only claim to. It’s already starting, and it’s only going to get better as we head into the future.

My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Part 6: Would Your Cable Guy Buy You Dinner?

Thanks for joining me. Once again, I’m Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving. Over the past six weeks, I’ve been sharing my personal thoughts on “WOW,” even showing you what “WOW’s” me (if you haven’t yet, scroll down and check out my son’s first word).

This week, I’m going to break down the difference between two types of “WOW,” both of which were exemplified by one of our HUNKs who truly gets it.

A Tale of Two “WOWs”

1. The basic “WOW” – This is the type of “WOW” that blows a client’s mind. Here’s what I mean: Last week, Tampa Franchise Manager Ignacio Torano helped a family move into a new home. It was a pretty standard, local move. Unfortunately, the client works nights (always a tough shift to tackle, no matter what kind of work you do). Because of the move, the client wasn’t going to have time to cook dinner before work.

Let’s stop right here. Think about all of your service providers. What would your cable guy, for example, do at this point? Maybe tell you he’s sorry to hear about your problem? Maybe nothing at all?

Here’s what our HUNK did:

Ignacio felt bad for the client. But, he didn’t just offer a pat on the back and a “sorry for your luck.” No, Ignacio thought for a second, “What would “WOW” this client? What would surprise and delight? Better yet, what’s the ‘right thing to do’ in this situation.”

Then, the answer became clear. Ignacio bought the client’s family dinner, takeout from a local restaurant.

Would your cable guy EVER buy your family dinner?

The point is, if a service provider takes two seconds to think, the “WOW” opportunity becomes obvious.

2. The Advanced “WOW” or “WOW” lifestyle. This is the type of “WOW” that moves the world.

A couple days after the dinner “WOW”, out of nowhere I got a phone call from a friend of mine. “I think I just saw Ignacio chasing down a balloon in the supermarket parking lot.”

“What?” I thought. Laughing, I said, “Yeah, that sounds like Ignacio.”

He was at it again.

I found out that, on a particularly windy day in Tampa, Ignacio was at the supermarket and a little kid lost hold of a balloon. The balloon was making a break for it. From a distance, Ignacio saw what was happening and sprang into action. As the wind whipped the balloon all over the parking lot, Ignacio zigged and zagged and finally chased it down and grabbed it, returning it to the child.

This is an example of what happens when you’ve practiced the basic “WOWs” for clients for so long that you don’t need to think anymore, you just react and make “WOW” moments a common, daily part of your life.

Here’s my point: When you do the right thing by “WOWing”, you delight clients. When you make “WOWing” a habit, you delight the world, regardless of your occupation. You move the world around you and make it a better place in turn.

When I heard about the child who lost the balloon, I naturally thought about my son, Chase. What if he had been the child in that situation, or any other scenario where he needs help and I’m not around? My worries quickly subsided when I realized that, as long as people like Ignacio are out there, living the “WOW” lifestyle, Chase will be just fine.

If you’d like to tell us how YOU’VE been “WOW’ed,” just click here to tell us on Facebook. The 10 “WOW-iest” stories will each earn their main character (you) a $100 College Hunks Gift Card!

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / Freedigitalphotos.net

College Hunks rode the radio waves recently with a featured appearance on “Holly’s Digital Advice” on Women 4 Women Network. The network is dedicated to the global empowerment of women by women.

Chris Jackson (Director of Marketing and Hunk Branding) did a great job in his effort to empower the listeners.

Show host Holly Campbell picked Chris’s brain at length, covering every topic from what College Hunks does internally to uplift its employees to what steps we take to truly “WOW” our clients, offering entertaining examples and anecdotes on every topic.

Listen to Part 1 of the interview:

Listen to Part 2 of the interview:

To check out Holly’s page, click here.

If you want to tell us your “WOW” story and have a chance at one of ten $100 College Hunks Gift Cards, click here!

My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Part 5: My Son’s First Word

Welcome back everyone. As you know, I’m Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving and I’ve been sharing my thoughts on the “WOW” movement. I’ve been giving you my personal insight and opinions on different aspects of “WOW.” This week, though, I want to talk to you about a truly personal part of “WOW.”

See, usually in life, there isn’t much certainty. Life’s funny that way, never letting you know whether or not you’re on the right path until after the fact. Every once in a while, though, something happens that let’s you know you’re headed in the right direction. Whether you call it a coincidence or a sign, it’s hard to ignore. And, maybe it shouldn’t be ignored.

On May 11, 2011, Chase Alexander Soliman entered the world. He shares his birthday with my wife (whose birthday is the day after my own). We thought this was a cool coincidence, all three of our birthdays in a two day span.

Then, nine months later (almost to the day), something happened and “coincidence” just didn’t seem like the word to use.

On February 9, 2012, after a very long day, my wife and I were laying in bed, sharing stories about how our day had gone. I talked a little bit about the big news of the day, which was this new idea we were in the early stages of developing called the “WOW” campaign. I told her how I thought it was a great idea, but, as with anything in life, you never know how these things are going to work out.

All of a sudden, we were interrupted by a little voice. Chase was trying to form his first word. I was so excited that the exhaustion from the day just kind of melted away. Quickly, I grabbed my camera and started filming, hoping to catch Chase’s first word. That’s when he said it.

“WOW!”

I looked at my wife. “There’s no way,” I said, a smile forming on my face.

I kept filming and, sure enough, he said it again.

“WOW!”

I told my wife, “That’s too crazy to be a coincidence. That has to be a sign.”

And I maintain that it was, in fact, a sign. I believe it was a sign that we had gotten it right, that we were on the right path as an organization with the “WOW” movement and that we should keep going with it.

I knew, in that moment, that we have to do whatever it takes to “WOW” our clients. But I knew, too, that we have to reach beyond our own clients. We need to make “WOW” the catalyst to change the entire service industry. We had to use “WOW” in order to “move the world” and make it a better place for the future.

Looking back, it seems so obvious. Using “WOW” to “move the world” is the right thing to do. I knew that. Still, when Chase spoke his first word, he “WOW’ed” me.

And, he let me know that the “WOW” movement was more important than I ever could have realized. After all, I have a personal stake in the welfare of the future. I have to make the world a better place not just for the sake of the industry, but, more importantly, because Chase is counting on it.

Click below to watch the ACTUAL video of Chase’s first “WOW”…

Obviously, Chase “WOWs” me every day. He’s the most important thing in my life. But I want to know how YOU’VE been WOW’ed, either by our company or any other service provider. Check it out on Facebook and submit a quick story. The 10 coolest “WOW” stories will each earn a $100 College Hunks Gift Card. Just click here!

My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Part 4: A Beacon of “WOW”

Hi everyone. Once again, I’m Omar Soliman, founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving. If you’re just joining the conversation, I’ve been writing my thoughts about “WOW-ing” our clients (and our HUNK team, for that matter) by going above and beyond what they expect.

The thing about the junk hauling and moving industries that’s surprised me is how little is expected by customers from companies. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve gotten a lot of great responses. For example, Jennifer Z. told us about how one of our HUNK teams worked quickly and diligently to help her recover in a single morning from the aftermath of a tornado that ravaged her property. I think that’s nothing short of amazing.

On the other hand, we’ve gotten a lot of great submissions about how our teams are out there, working hard to get each job done with speed, efficiency, and professionalism. At first, I thought our standard service was getting confused with going above and beyond to “WOW” our clients.

“Maybe I just wasn’t being clear about the contest details,” I thought.

Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks… or, I guess in this case, a ton of junk.

Image courtesy of digitalart / freedigitalphotos.net

I realized that people from all over the country are so used to underwhelming service from their movers and haulers that College Hunks’ standard service seems amazing to them. They can’t believe that we don’t work slowly just to drag out the clock. They’re somehow surprised that we don’t show up looking disheveled and unkempt. They’re not used to crews who are personable and actually listen to their thoughts and concerns.

Sadly, it seems that the junk hauling and moving industries are utterly “WOW-less.”

Still, if we’re the exception to that norm, standing alone as the sole beacon of “WOW” in an otherwise “WOW-less” industry, then I’m proud to have that distinction.

So, if our standard service is something that “WOW’s” you, let us know.

And, if you’ve had a “WOW” experience from another company in any part of the service industry, let us know that too.

Basically, if a service provider blew your mind in any way, big or small, tell us how. Just click right here to go to Facebook and submit your story. Then, we’ll pick the 10 best stories and give each winner a $100 College Hunks Gift Card.

So, friends, we’ll talk more about “WOW” next week. In the meantime, remember, stay stress-free!

 My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

 An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College  Hunks

Part 3: A “WOW” for Every HUNK

Omar Soliman here, founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving. Thanks for joining me once again this week. Today, I want to talk about an important part of “WOW” service that a lot of companies tend to forget about: “WOW-ing” their own employees.

Now, I realize that you, yourself, may not be a College Hunks team member. Still, it’s important to understand what motivates our HUNKS to “WOW” you. Personally, I like to think it’s because we make it our priority to “WOW” all of our team members every day.

The very foundation of College Hunks rests on the idea that every single HUNK is the CEO of our organization in their own right. I honestly look at it like the HUNKS on the trucks who come to your homes, roll up their sleeves and do the hands-on work are just as responsible for the success of this company as I am. As such, I think it’s important to give them not only the respect that comes with that title, but also a lot of the decision-making powers.

Here’s what I mean:

When the HUNKS go out on the truck each day, they understand that time is a valuable asset to the company. As CEOs, they’re responsible for budgeting their time spent at each job site. The quicker they can get their jobs done and get back to the office (while still ensuring they provide quality, personable service), the more revenue from those jobs they earn for the company. Plus, they also receive bonuses for themselves based on their efficiency.

Furthermore, as CEOs, they know the importance of engaging the community in order to grow the College Hunks brand. If they don’t do their part to build not just the brand, but also a genuine relationship with the community, they know their location will have fewer jobs on the docket for the following days.

With these responsibilities, the HUNKS control their own success and their own revenue and income. In this way, each HUNK feels empowered and, therefore, motivated to do a great job. Generally speaking, people seem to take more pride in their work when they control the outcome and are given a fair chance to reap the fruit of their labor.

I always enjoy hearing new HUNKS tell me how surprised they are at the levels of responsibility and reward they receive as members of our team. Hearing those sentiments lets me know that I’m doing my job by “WOW-ing” them, from one CEO to another. And, since we’re all CEOs, I know I can trust every HUNK to do their absolute best to “WOW” you.

Check us out next week right here on the blog and we’ll continue talking about “WOW.” In the meantime, click here to go to Facebook and let us know about the most over-the-top “WOW” moment you’ve ever had with a service-provider. Remember, if your “WOW” is one of our top 10 favorites, we’ll give you a $100 College Hunks Gift Card!

It’s a strange time of year. The holidays seem like a distant memory (even Groundhog Day has come and gone without much pomp or circumstance), but spring is still a little ways off. Call it the lulls of February. For most of us, we’re left with remnants from the holiday bustle, crowding us in the house, but it feels like there’s no “spring” in our step to do anything about it. Fortunately, where most people see a problem, College Hunks sees an opportunity to “WOW.”

With Valentine’s Day standing as the last holiday “hoorah” between you and your spring cleaning, why not take care of both in one fell swoop. This year, practicality is the new romance. Hear me out:

When picking a gift, consider the following question: “Does he/she really need (or even want) it?” I mean really, are you going to buy another electronic gadget to sync with the 38 other electronic gadgets your special someone already has, when they only use them to check Email and play “Angry Birds” anyway?

As far as gestures, you can always take your loved one out to dinner, but really, how many times a year can you possibly order the same fettucini alfredo from your favorite Italian food chain restaurant before it starts to feel like you’re living in a real life version of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day?

No, the same old routine just won’t do this year (especially if the Mayans got it right). This year, you want something innovative, something that’ll make your loved one say “WOW.” This year, you need to step your game up and get the gift that someone actually wants and needs. Our suggestion: CLEAN THE HOUSE, the whole house, and nothing but the house. I’m not just talking about sweeping the living room, I mean clearing the clutter out of every single room, a truly grand gesture.

Aside from getting out ahead of your spring cleaning duties, imagine the feeling your loved one will have when they come home to a completely de-cluttered house. It’ll feel as though a weight has been lifted. He or she will be overcome with relief and happiness because it’s one less thing they have to do. Plus, who doesn’t want to live in a clean space? While it’ll be a relief to you as well, your special someone will feel truly indebted to you (especially if they got you some overpriced flowers and a box of nasty, mystery chocolates).

So, this year, make your gift stand out. Make it useful, both wanted and needed. Do that, and you will have made it memorable for both you and your loved one.

If you need a hand getting all of that junk out of your house, call your local Romeos of recycling, the College Hunks. Just click here and get started on your mission to “WOW” your valentine!

If you want to enter the College Hunks’ “What’s Your WOW” contest for a chance to win a $100 College Hunks Gift Card, click here for the details.

My Search for How to Truly “WOW” Our Clients

An 8-Part Blog Series by Omar Soliman, Founder and CEO of College Hunks

Part 2: How the “WOW” Got Started

Thanks again for joining me. I’m Omar Soliman, founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk and College Hunks Moving. As we discussed last week, I’m writing because I want to share with you the story of my journey for “WOW.” The goal is simple: to find the best ways to truly “WOW” our clients and take College Hunks’ service to even greater heights.

In order to understand where we, as a brand, are going, it’s imperative to understand where we’ve been. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, how Nick and I got started with nothing more than my mom’s cargo van, some word of mouth advertising and the determination to make something happen. Looking back, it seems so unlikely that an entire company should grow from such an unassuming initial idea. Then again, maybe that beginning is part of the “WOW” factor itself. I certainly found myself saying that three letter word quite a bit along the way.

The truth is, maybe I did think that one day I’d own a business. Still, I never thought it would come from riding around in a beat-up van, offering to haul away people’s junk. I only started doing it because my mom wanted me to get a job between semesters at college and I thought it would be a fun way to earn a few bucks over the summer.

Now, with 39 franchises and more on the way, it’s easy to use this “WOW” idea to explain the growth of College Hunks. I started College Hunks without expecting much, but what I got in return blew my mind. I remember that feeling when we got our first big orange truck with the College Hunks logo on the side, and I realized the company was really turning into something. It was astonishing… it was crazy.

That feeling is exactly what I want to pass on to our clients. It’s why I’m on this journey to find out what would really blow our clients’ minds in terms of unexpected, over the top, great service. We want our clients (that’s you!) to get MORE than they bargained for every time we show up to help them with their junk or moving needs, to the point where they come to expect that type of quality. Then, when the “unexpected” becomes “expected,” we’ll just continue to raise the bar and discover even more innovative ways to “WOW” them.

Next week, I’ll tell you about why I view everyone in our company, from our corporate team and franchisees to the HUNKS on the trucks, as CEOs in their own rite and why it’s just as important to “WOW” them as it is to “WOW” our clients. In the meantime, we’ve been getting some great feedback from all of you on facebook, so keep your ideas coming!

All you have to do is click here to check us out on Facebook and leave a comment expressing what “WOW” you would appreciate the most. Big or small, no idea is too “out there” for us to consider, so let me know what would “WOW” you!