Tip 72: Be awesome in unexpected big ways

Small goes a long way, but if you can provide an amazing experience for your customers in a big way, then by all means go for it. It’ll have them talking about how awesome you are for a while.

Examples

  1. One of my favorite ways I was delighted in a big way was from the airline Virgin Atlantic. I’ve flown business class with them a few times to London and the experience is always over the top and highly memorable. They give out sleep suits to change into during the flight so you don’t wrinkle your clothes. You’ve gotta admit, pretty awesome, no? 🙂
  2. Beyonce was no doubt awesome in a big way when she released her self-titled album as a visual album with no prior promotion. The album contained 14 new songs and 17 new videos that fans could download from iTunes all at once. Her fans were clearly delighted in that more than 800 thousand copies of the album were sold worldwide in three days.

Suggestions

  1. Get comfortable with big ideas. When it comes to delighting your customers in big and unexpected ways, you’ll have to get comfortable stretching yourself beyond what has already been done. If you feel uncomfortable with the magnitude of the vision, that is often a good sign you have a big enough idea.
  2. Get bored with the status quo. Always work towards trying to top yourself in terms of how you delight them. It’ll keep you on your toes, and prevent you from being complacent when it comes to your ideas on how to delight.

Application for your business

  1. Make a list of how two companies within your industry are delighting their customers. Next make a list of how two companies outside your industry are delighting their customers. Write down what all four are doing to get their customers to love them.
  2. Brainstorm five ways to wow your customers. Specifically, write down five things that you can do differently from your competitors in a way that your customers are not expecting.

Previous tips

1-22. Section 1: Build a relationship with your customers (series)

23-48. Section 2: Make your customers’ lives better (series)

49-62. Section 3: Reward your customers (series)

63. Be cool (code for be yourself)

64. Love what you do (and let it show)

65. Give your business some G.A.S.

66. Have awesome people

67. Take care of your awesome people

68. Be remarkable

69. Be memorable

70. Shake things up

71. Be awesome in unexpected small ways