Imagine this!
You’ve been invited by a friend to a gala event that you are super excited about attending.
When you arrive at the venue, there is a long red carpet that leads from the road to the doorway.
At the end of the red carpet, a doorman stands waiting to greet you. In his hands is a clipboard with a list of the special guests who have been invited.
You give your name, he scans the list and on finding your name, he smiles and invites you to come inside.
Now before anything else happens, you already feel very special.
You have just had an experience!
It is this sense of being special that lies at the heart of what every Marketer aspires to create – a real Customer Experience!
At the core of your marketing efforts lies the customer experience. Great marketing is about being aware of the feelings you can create and the experiences you can provide for your clients.
The reality is in a competitive and often crowded market place, it’s the businesses that can create an experience that ultimately win.
Let’s explore how you do it.
The bottom line is simple.
People want to feel special, unique, valued and truly cared for.
When you show a customer a sincere level of care and roll out the red carpet, you positively charge your client relationships.
Unfortunately, few businesses ever roll out the red carpet for their clients.
Most don’t offer a remarkable experience. Instead they settle for an adequate experience, one that doesn’t offend but certainly doesn’t inspire.
They strive to offer a good product or service, at a fair price, with a reasonable level of service. They seek to be good enough instead of great, to be acceptable rather than remarkable.
You don’t want to do just enough to scrounge out a sale. You want to do more than enough to create a loyal customer and hopefully a raving fan. When you start to think like a marketer, you understand the value of focusing your energy on doing more than winning a sale; you want to generate referrals.
Referrals are the primary way most businesses attract new clients, but you don’t have to simply cross your fingers and hope a client refers you; you can actively generate referrals by being remarkable.
What does it mean to be remarkable?
It means being someone worthy of remarking about.
When you commit to delivering an outstanding client experience, you create a reason for people to remember you, talk about you and market you to others.
Being remarkable is often viewed as being difficult, costly and not worth the effort. The reality is nothing could be further from the truth.
It is the simple things, done well, that can make your business shine. If you want to be a part of a remarkable business, then you must first decide to be REMARKABLE. This doesn’t happen by accident; it requires a conscious choice.
Not so long ago I visited a business where it was clear that a decision had been made by everyone working there to be remarkable.
I was meeting a buddy of mine for a coffee prior to heading into an appointment with a client. We hadn’t picked a place so as I arrived early, I started scouting out a coffee shop.
The welcome I got as I entered the store was unusually warm. All the staff behind the counter smiled and seemed eager to serve. They ran through the specials board for me before I settled on a sandwich.
I explained that a friend would be joining me soon for coffee and that I had no cash, only my credit card. They confirmed that was not a problem and were happy to run a tab and hold my card so we could order drinks when my friend arrived.
As soon as my friend arrived, a staff member approached us. “How is the sandwich Paul?” he asked.
For a split-second I was shocked.
How did he know my name?
I had never been there before.
Then I remembered the credit card.
The waiter had taken the trouble to get my name so he could address me personally. It sounds so simple and it is – but it’s also remarkable.
My friend immediately thought I must be a regular here. I explained what had happened, including the exceptional service I had witnessed delivered to other customers. This is an example of one of the many simple practices that can help a business become remarkable.
Because of the service we received that day, both my friend and I have made a point to return to the café whenever we are in the area.
Being remarkable need not be difficult or costly, but it is certainly worth the effort.
Businesses spend a lot of time and energy trying to develop elaborate elevator pitches and unique selling propositions, and often ignore doing the simple things that would truly set them apart.
Make the decision to be remarkable today, if only just a little.
I promise it will pay big dividends.