Small-Town Lessons on Relationship and Business Reputation
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away…If I were to paraphrase the Star Wars opening, a long time ago was the 1960’s and 70’s and that far away galaxy was my small hometown of Florence, Colorado. The main street of Florence was comprised of, at most, 40 businesses. The 3,000 residents preferred to shop…
The Bar is High – Are you Letting your Products and Technology Down? [Infographic]
Even though I spend most of my career helping brands meld technology, products, process, and people into optimal customer experiences I must admit I can become “wide-eyed” with the speed and benefits of digital solutions. In my upcoming book about Airbnb (The Airbnb Way, available for pre-order here), I share how to assure that you don’t…
Are you Letting your Products and Technology Down?
Even though I spend most of my career helping brands meld technology, products, process, and people into optimal customer experiences I must admit I can become “wide-eyed” with the speed and benefits of digital solutions. Take Starbucks’ deployment of Microsoft’s Azure technologies for example. Starbucks (a company about which I have written two books The…
When the Customer Experience Goes Awry [Differentiation Through Service Recovery]
Forgive me for sounding braggadocious, but I AM PERFECTLY IMPERFECT! But then again so are you and so is your business. Unfortunately, some leaders either don’t know they are imperfect, or they seek to fool consumers into thinking their businesses are flawless. In those environments, team members read the invisible handwriting on the wall and…
For the Love of Mike (and all the others you serve) – Close the Loop! {Infographic}
The phrase “for the love of Mike” has a colorful Irish backstory wherein exasperation and frustration were redirected from God to Mick (or Mike). I am exasperated with a particular human experience shortcoming that I see demonstrated over and over again. Since I don’t think God is to blame, I thought I should invoke the…
Rolling through the Highs and Lows | Where will your Customers Land?
I am always on the lookout for extraordinary customer experiences and sadly they are proportionally akin to the story of the princess and the frog – there are few princes and a lot of frogs. The other day, I encountered, count them, not one but two extraordinary customer experiences both lastingly memorable. The first brings…
How to Write a Compelling Story Hook {Infographic}
I like to say all stories can have a hook; however, all too often the storyteller fails to examine the story from all the angles needed to discover it.
Sprinkle Emotion on your Branded Storytelling {Infographic}
Last week I gave an example of how you can tell stories with strong protagonists (some of the protagonists might be people – like your team members or customers – and other characters might be your products or services). This week I will explore the importance of telling stories with “emotions that pull for action.”…
Do not Forget to Sprinkle Emotion on Top of your Branded Storytelling
Donut Do not Forget to Sprinkle Emotion on Top of your Branded Storytelling Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve shared how brands can be described by perceptions held by customers and non-customers alike. I’ve suggested that those perceptions are shaped by the experiences people have across all interactions with your company. Those interactions are…
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