Create An Engaging Experience

Have you received a gift lately? It’s fun when someone shows gratitude by going out of their way to express it in a special tangible way. In our busyness we sometimes forget the importance of expressing our gratitude to others. A great story is modeled about this in a short, engaging and powerful book Mr. Shmooze by Richard Abraham. In this book the author paints a picture of what it looks like to be a master at observing details. What would happen if you “elevated” everything, every person, every time? By elevating, I mean looking for ways to applaud them. Look at some of the opportunities in which we can elevate (make a difference) others:

• That special waitress or waiter who served you at the restaurant, that made you look great.
• That employee that made your customer feel like a million dollars.
• Your spouse — loving you with all your faults.
• Your son/daughter — for showing gratitude to others
• Your customers — what’s happening in their life that you can recognize: i.e. marriage, birthday, promotion, death, new baby, a new house, a new car, etc.

What can you do to exceed everyone’s expectations?  By making people the heart of everything you do. When you make this your mantra you find opportunities to make a difference. A simple gift can provide a kind gesture of your appreciation and thankfulness.

Suggested reading:

• Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders. This is a must read! Buy 100 copies and give them out.
• Mr. Shmooze by Richard Abraham. This is a must read also. This book paints the picture.
• Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Why do some ideas stick and others don’t? Learn what makes sticky ideas.
• Blog: What’s In A Name? … Brand Identity
• Give A Biz Gift Without Your Name On It

The New Art of Customization

We live in a very competitive business world. The key to success in this competitive environment is offering our customers products and services where the selection process is simple, pleasant, and distinctive.

The availability of choice has caused successful companies to customize the customers experience. People like customized products and services, so long as the process or service does not feel intrusive.

Following are some insights on how to make the customization (branding) a powerful tool for creating loyal customers for life:

1. Customize the features your customers will actually care about. Remember they want your advice but they want it to be attractive not a boring presentation.
2. Make the process of doing business with you easy, and if you can, make it fun. Don’t make it laborious.
3. The qualifier: Be distinctive. People will remember if you are different.  They pay for distinctive. Being distinctive takes discipline and a lot of hard work to ensure value is added.
4. Keep customers coming back by continually refreshing your offerings. Most websites are dead — boring and of no value. You must offer value and keep it fresh.

How Is Your Seesaw Tipped?

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle

Your ability or inability to make a decision or do something worthwhile is not an accident. It is a result of who you have been becoming. The seesaw of your habits lies in whether you weight your life decisions on your fears or on your abilities. The state of that seesaw is what predicts your decision making.

Perhaps there is something you perceive as risky. Could it be that your perception is a direct result of how you have tipped your seesaw? If you have chosen the easy way or given into your fears and guised it in some virtuous story, then you will have to counterbalance all those decisions one day to do anything different. It will become harder and you will perceive more risk in such decisions than the person who has made choices on their abilities.

My business coaching clients range in their life seesaw. It is amazing to see people start the journey to tip it back towards their abilities. It takes a lot of work, but when that seesaw starts to tip back, their belief and freedom to make their dreams happen become less hindered. They are pursuing excellence rather than fear. They are choosing to become their dream rather than exist in their resignation. You are who you have been becoming. Who have you been becoming?