Main Idea
When’s the last time you visited a restaurant or store and left with a sensation of WOW? Are your interactions okay/boring/satisfying/forgettable? What do your customers think of their interactions with you? If you have not gotten a referral in a while, then your customers have not experienced a “WOW”.
Expansion of Idea
What is “WOW”? Why is it important? You can define WOW in a lot of different ways, but by definition it is not satisfaction. It is exhilaration, delight, joy, surprise, awe, admiration. Customers have to love your product, service, business, team members, follow through, phone support, accounting department, delivery, website and environment. When these are performed adequately, you may or may not keep the customer’s business. But if you are trying to get customers for life, you need to WOW them.
My favorite example of this is in the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”. (Yes, I have referred to this before.) Santa Claus refers a customer to Gimble’s because Macy’s did not have the right toy. This customer tells the toy department manager that in the past she had no use for Macy’s but because of this, she is a customer for life. She was WOW’d. She walked away muttering that she did not believe what happened.
A small gesture can create a customer for life. Some of the things that WOW customers are unexpected surprises such as thanking them for business or sending them a newspaper article that might help them. When was the last time you called a customer after a sale to check on the receipt of the service or product? It does not take money to take service to the next level. It takes the right attitude, hard work, creativity and a keen desire to pay attention to the customers.
Areas to Start:
Try to WOW your team. Show them the true meaning of WOW.
Brainstorm with your team on how to WOW your customers.
Empower the team to WOW your customers.
Celebrate the successes!!!!!