I walked off the studio and that was the beginning… Even though I had been a member for 7 years, I started to realize that they actually cared and wanted to make things right..
I had a very uncomfortable situation with one of my go-to gyms. I had been a member for a very long time and I thought they didn’t really care so much about their members.
The truth is that the front desk staff, or the people who are the first contact with your customers are the ones who set the tone for the experience.
I wasn’t interested in any gym, I was interested in the experience of getting an accountability partner, getting a fun and exciting welcome, and a challenging workout environment. I didn’t care so much about doing a workout on my own.
It got me thinking that what we think about our business, is not just the business itself. It’s the experience that we are forming about the business and the people who create these experiences for our customers.
For example, in my case, when you work with me, I’m not just selling email marketing. I’m creating a positive experience for my clients that allows them to connect and get to know their audience much better. I’m creating personalizing messages that allow them to speak to Bob or Sandra, not to a “36 year-old woman who lives in Boston, Massachusetts”. I’m transporting the client into the living room of the business owner to get them to talk! And as a result, get sales!
When it comes to your product or service, think about what experience are you creating? What are your customers feeling and why is that? How are you being different than your competitors, even if you’re selling the same product or service?
Focus on how to SHOW that you care about their experience and you’ll have tons of happy customers.
As far as my gym, after the incident they called me and they apologized, they actually listened to what I had to say and they offered me an incentive to stay a member. At the end of the calls with two studio managers, I realized that it is about that experience and I wanted to come back to that. Showing they cared made a huge difference! It created the experience that I was longing for.
So for you, if you’re a business owner, what are some immediate tasks you can do to create a more meaningful experience for your customers