Lessons From Disney Part 2

Ahoy There! I have a few people nagging me for more Disney references so I thought I would talk about one of my favorite things—Customer Experience!

In the grand scheme of things, it can be hard to keep track of everyone who comes in and out of your business. You may not remember every customer, but if you create a memorable experience, they certainly will remember you.

Like Dory (my favorite little fish), she always has a positive attitude. But that’s something your customers should be able to take away from their interactions with your business at a minimum. Whether it’s through personalized emails or in -person conversations at the counter, showing them that you care is what will make them come back again and again. Every business is relational. Whether you are B2C, B2B, or anything in-between. I will say it once more—Every. Business. Is. Relational. (Prove me wrong).

The experience doesn’t have to stop here. Marlin would stop here. Marlin probably wouldn’t have even lifted his head to say hello when his customer walked in. Dory would go the extra mile and make their experience even better by giving them something to remember her by. Because she knows she wouldn’t remember them…Think about that for a moment. What would it look like if we all approached our customers like Dory? They would be treated like a new customer every single time, whatever made them want to be a repeat customer happens again and again (and we have the added benefit of remembering their name). Little gestures like this go a long way, and really show them that you appreciate their business.

I visited a business several months ago, and when I walked in the door the person at the front desk greeted me by name. I had never met this person before… but she welcomed me, and if you know me personally—even said my name correctly! Believe me, that gave her bonus points from the start. She took me to my meeting room and gave me a cute box with chocolate in it, but it didn’t stop there. She had used her awesome calligraphy skills to add my name to the top. That blew me away! This act probably cost the business about .50 cents. It doesn’t take a lot of money to make an experience special, it just takes intention.

We can’t forget about the power of social media. Posting about your customers on your business pages is an excellent way to show them how much you care about their loyalty. With social media you can take your more formal hat off, and really make this a personal engagement opportunity. Approach social like Crush!

"Hello dudes! I want to give an epic shout out to Lizzy. Lizzy has been our customer for like... 50 years, I know because I was like 75 when she first came aboard. Anyways, I digress. Lizzy is not just a totally awesome customer, but she totally nailed her medical boards! Please help me show her how proud we are by raising your fins (like the post...just like the post dude). Congrats, Lizzy!"

So throw out some fin-tastic ideas for creating a memorable customer experience and don’t be a Marlin. Be a Dory. Can't think of any? “It’s the ocean, silly, we’re not the only two in here.”

And finally being intentional takes time and practice, you'll get there but for now Just keep swimming…