Skip to main content

Remember Who Got You Here (March 14, 2016)

At some time in the past (I’m purposefully leaving the details a bit hazy – I don’t want to date myself), I had the chance to see a band in concert in a very small venue – seriously, the whole thing was about the size of a high school gymnasium.  This was the very first concert my friend had ever attended, and as we were walking out that evening, I told him that he’s sort of been ruined for future concerts because he got to see this particular band – who was obviously going to be very big, very soon – in such a small setting.  He just smiled and laughed. 

About a year later, the band in question HAD gotten much bigger, and they were now appearing in large auditoriums.  My friend had decided that if the band was so great in a small venue, they would have to be even better since they were now rating bigger places that could hold twenty times more people – and he got tickets to their upcoming show.  A few weeks after the show, I asked him if he enjoyed it.  He started telling me about the pyrotechnics and some of the other theatrics that they had put into their new show, and then he paused for a second and said, “You know what, though, you were right about being ruined for future concerts.  The band, as expected, was awesome, and the production was really cool, but seeing them in a huge auditorium was like watching a movie.  Seeing them in that small theater the first time let me feel like I was part of the experience – I’ll never forget it.” 

Which concert experience would your customers use to classify the customer service they received from you in their most recent transaction?  Did they feel like they were in a small, intimate setting where you interacted with them, looked them in the eye, and made them a part of the experience?  Or, did they feel like they were sitting in one of the nosebleed seats of the ginormous auditorium hoping you’d get around to playing their favorite song before saying goodnight and moving on to the next city?  For numerous reasons, they sought you out – they bought tickets to the show – so the question remains: how are they going to remember the show you put on for them, and what are they going to say to their friends about it?

Some companies and individuals in this industry think that bigger is better, and when you ask them to explain why they feel that way, they’ll give you reasons like “increased resources” and “larger reach” – not necessarily bad things in and of themselves – but those reasons are generally one sided: they’re for the company, not the customer.  When it comes right down to it, each customer NEEDS and DESERVES to feel like you’re putting on a private performance JUST for them – that you’re taking their requests and playing your heart out.  Remember: packing an auditorium full of people doesn’t enhance the fans’ experience, it only serves the performer’s wants and desires.  And just like those performers who play the smaller venues for more appreciative crowds, their careers last a lot longer.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Definition of Insanity (in Real Estate)

More than a couple of years ago, I witnessed something that makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.  Having lunch at a local restaurant, I spied a real estate agent and a loan originator having what I would characterize as a “first date”. I couldn’t help but overhear little snippets of their conversation, and as far as I could tell, things were going relatively well . . . at least until the agent asked the LO this question: “So, do you like to sit at open houses with agents?”  I immediately looked to the LO’s face awaiting the response.  I didn’t need to hear another single word coming out of the LO’s mouth because his face said everything:  you would have thought the agent had asked him if he enjoyed bobbing for apples in a pool of acid judging by the look on his face.  While his face was communicating complete revulsion, his lips said, “Yes, of course.”  And that’s when I looked over at the agent’s face to see, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Time for a New York-Style Housing Fix

Previously, I’ve written about a man who works in our office who lived in New York City back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s – let me assure you that while that does seem like a very long time ago, it’s not nearly as far bac k as when the wheel was invented and humankind learned to harness the power of fire. If you’ve been to New York City recently and blissfully walked around Harlem to get chicken and waffles at Sylvia’s on Malcolm X Boulevard between 126 th and 127 th Streets or stopped in at Keybar on 13 th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A to wedge yourself into a cozy corner next to their notable fireplace, you wouldn’t get a sense that these areas were once . . . not as welcoming and glitzy as you now see them. Our office mate has told some fairly interesting stories of living in those and other areas of New York City that give a much different sense.   In the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, no matter how many great things you heard about Sylvia’s food, 127 th Str...
Post a Comment
Read more

Change: the Only Sure Thing

Which headline is better for grabbing your attention and prompting you to read the article to which it’s attached: “Credit Reports to Exclude Certain Negative Information, But Read on to See if This Even Applies to You” or “ Credit Reports to Exclude Certain Negative Information, Boosting FICO Scores”?   Obviously, the former is less than tantalizing while the latter makes you say, “Tell me more!”   I was in the “tell me more” camp, and the folks at The Wall Street Journal sucked me into their vortex. The development, set to go into practice on July 1 st , is certainly a departure from how the Big Three (Experian, TransUnion , and Equifax) have done things in the past, but it’s not going to wave a magic wand and make bankruptcies, foreclosures, short sales, etc., go away.   It’s sort of a bittersweet development.   Let me explain: Many tax liens and civil judgments will be removed from people’s credit reports if they don’t include a complete list of a...
Post a Comment
Read more