If your experience exceeds your expectations, what do you do? We tell others. And just like us, our customers trust the experiences and recommendations of friends before they will trust a promotion from any company. Moreover, we’ll become a repeat customer, bring others with us on a future visit, engage with the business on social media, and become a raving fan.
Here are a couple of real-world examples of “Delighting your customer and creating a WOW moment” by Alec Stern.
• “I was a keynote speaker at a conference, and during my talk, I mentioned I am a drummer and have written a few songs and music videos about the company I co-founded, Constant Contact. About a week after my talk, I received an unexpected package in the mail. I remembered the sender’s name because, after my talk, he came up to thank me and asked me a few questions. Much to my surprise, the package contained custom made drumsticks with my name carved into the wood. The gentleman enclosed a note thanking me for my talk and referencing several points that resonated with him. I was touched, and, to this day, I have the drumsticks on my desk.”
• “I recently booked a reservation for four people at a local restaurant. Since the reservation was in my name, the manager came over and said, “Hi, Alec, thank you for joining us this evening.” I introduced my guests. He then came by later in the dinner to check in and give us all a business card with his mobile number and email and said if any of us need anything in the future to please contact him directly. About a week later, I received a handwritten note in the mail from him thanking us again for coming into the restaurant, saying he hoped we all enjoyed our meals and naming each person in our party.”
“Needless to say, these examples were surprising and delightful experiences that created genuine WOW moments for me.”
“To create WOW moments, we need first to fulfill our promises and treat our customers the way we want to be treated. We need to be thoughtful and proactive to give a customer something they value, but never expected. And we need to be thankful. After all, our customers have other choices, and we want them to know we appreciate them choosing us.”
“You can even turn an “OW” moment into a “WOW” moment. Mistakes are bound to happen. If your customer doesn’t receive the level of service, the quality of the experience they expect, a number of things can happen – none of them good for business. First, customers may not come back. So, make sure you give your customers an easy and timely way to provide feedback so that you can be alerted to any problems, resolve them, and save that customer. As a flip side to my earlier stories, some people may tell others about their bad experience. And some may even go online, complain or give a negative review on social channels.”
“The most important thing you can do if you receive a negative review or comment on social media (or anywhere for that matter) is “don’t take it personally.” Step away from your device. Don’t abruptly respond or challenge negative comments because this is a battle you cannot win. Take a few deep breaths. You may be surprised when a raving fan responds on your behalf, saying that the reviewer’s experience is not in keeping with the excellent service they are used to receiving. Even if this does not happen, you can turn this “OW” moment into a “WOW” moment by responding quickly, acknowledging the complaint and letting the customer know you want to make it right. Then take the conversation offline. Your timely, gracious response lets your audience know you care and earns their trust.”
“Creating a WOW moment doesn’t have to take a lot of time nor be expensive. What’s your WOW? The opportunities are yours to discover!”
Alec Stern has more than 25 years of experience as a founder investor and hyper-growth agent for companies across various industries. He is an innovator with extensive expertise in growing and scaling companies, startup and operational growth, go-to-market strategy, strategic partnerships, and more.
As a primary member of Constant Contact’s founding team, Alec was one of the original 3 who started the company in an attic. Alec was with the company for 18 years from start-up to IPO, to a $1.1 Billion-dollar acquisition. Alec has also been a co-founder or on the founding team of several other successful startups, including VMark (IPO & acquisition) and MOST Cardio, amongst others.
Performing hundreds of keynote addresses Worldwide, Alec has become known as America’s Startup Success Expert for his popular sessions at conferences like Secret Knock, Powerteam International, City Summit, and Habitude Warrior. In 2019 Alec is the Keynote speaker at three out of the top five, “Inc. Magazine Must-Attend Conferences for Startups and Entrepreneurs in 2019.” While on tour, Alec has shared the stage with the likes of Tom Bilyeu, Jack Canfield, Les Brown, Kevin Harrington, and Mark Victor Hanson.
Stern appears on the Influence 100 Authority List by Influence Magazine, which recognizes his contribution to helping and advancing startups and entrepreneurs worldwide. He has also recently been featured on the covers of several other magazines, including “Small Business Trendsetters,” “Success Profiles,” and “Business Innovators.”
Stern advises a variety of early-stage companies and serves as a judge, mentor, and advisor for nationally known startup accelerators and programs, including TechStars, MassChallenge, and the Stevie Awards and speaks at Universities including Harvard and MIT.
As an accomplished entrepreneur and investor, he is a limited partner in Boston-based G20 Ventures, which provides early traction capital for East Coast enterprise tech startups. Alec is also an angel investor in a number of rising startups in various industries.
Connect with Alec at http://www.alecspeaks.com or alec@alecspeaks.com