Robert Spector

Nordstrom is the most customer-focused company in the U.S. As the author of four books on the company, I am the most knowledgable person regarding Nordstrom’s 120-year-plus culture. My audiences learn the elements of “The Nordstrom Way” and how they can be applied to their company — whatever industry they’re in.

Travels from:

Vancouver, Canada

Speaker Fee:

Fee info*The fee ranges indicated on this page are provided as a guide. Please keep in mind that if a speaker's price is indicated as a range, such as $20,000 - $30,000, it means that their charge is usually within that range. The fees charged for speakers are subject to revision. Fees may fluctuate according to a variety of circumstances, including the speaker's availability, scarcity, the length of the speech, customisation and the location of the event. Please reach out to us with the specifics of your event and requirements, and we will gladly supply you with a quotation.

$10000 - $20000

Robert Spector Keynote Speaker Videos

About Robert Spector Keynote Speaker

Robert Spector is an international keynote speaker, thought leader, and author of the business classic "THE NORDSTROM WAY: The Inside Story of America’s Number One Customer Service Company. "BusinessWeek magazine said, “For anyone looking to understand customer service at its best, this book bubbles with insights.”

He completely revised and rewrote the original book in 2005, 2012 and 2017. He is currently working on "THE CENTURY-OLD STARTUP: The Nordstrom Way of Embracing Change, Challenges and a Culture of Customer Service."

His other books include:
• AMAZON.COM: GET BIG FAST—the definitive story of the origins of Amazon, which has been translated into 18 languages

• THE MOM & POP STORE: True Stories From the Heart of America, a memoir of practical lessons learned working in his family’s butcher shop in Perth Amboy, as well as stories of independent retailers from all over the U.S., as well as Tokyo and London

• ANYTIME ANYWHERE: How the Best Bricks-and-Clicks Businesses Deliver Seamless Service to Their Customers, the groundbreaking book on omnichannel customer service

Spector has delivered keynote speeches and training sessions in 26 countries, several of them more than once.

He has contributed articles to many publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Women’s Wear Daily, Details, and National Lampoon. He has been a guest expert on national and local television, radio, and Internet programs, and is quoted in publications throughout the world.

A graduate of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Spector has taught at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, drawing on the work he’s done on Seattle-based icons Nordstrom, Amazon, Starbucks, Costco, and Pearl Jam.

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Keynote Speaker Robert Spector Topics

Although Nordstrom is in retail, most of my audiences are NOT in retail. They are in virtually every industry you can think of. They are aware of Nordstrom’s customer-focus approach and want to learn of Nordstrom’s Best Practices. The Nordstrom story is a culture story, which is how they have stayed in business for more than 120 years. My traditional keynote is comprised of a set of Nordstrom values:

(1) Trust;

(2) Loyalty;

(3) Respect;

(4) Awareness;

(5) Humility;

(6) Competition & Compensation;

(7) Communication & Collaboration;

(8) Innovation & Adaptation;

(9) Give Back & Have Fun.

I am also offering a new keynote based on my new book entitled “The Century-Old Startup: The Nordstrom Way of Embracing Change, Challenges and a Culture of Customer Service,” which is built around the acronym F.A.C.T.S.: Flexibility, Agility, Communication, Transformation, Social Responsibility. Nordstrom has survived world wars, the Great Depression, various recessions, changes in consumer behavior and COVID-19. I explain how they’ve done it and continue to do it.

“Robert's presentation on Nordstrom and how to install the Nine Principles of Customer Service into our organization drew a tremendous response from the conference attendees. The brainstorming session was clearly empowering for the managers, many of whom commented about their eagerness to share the outcomes with their teams.”

Charles Schwab Institutional