In our increasingly competitive business landscape, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking that remarkable experiences need to be grand or game-changing. But what if I told you that it’s often the little things that make the biggest impact?
Last Thursday, I experienced this first hand at a small café in Brisbane. I was in Brisbane for work and I needed my caffeine hit. I found a small ‘hole in the wall’ café where I had to go in to order and pay, then wait out the front for the coffee.
So, I went up and ordered my coffee with one sugar (unfortunately still on the sugar), then I paid for it – thinking that I would get a bit of sunshine and check some emails whilst waiting. As I was walking out the door, the gentleman at the coffee machine had my coffee and said “Here you go, have a great day”.
It was literally about 20 or 30 seconds from the time the order went into the machine to when the coffee was in my hand. It just blew my socks off a bit – a great way to start the day!
And this is what I wanted to touch on today – that was a remarkable coffee experience. What’s interesting is that I don’t remember if it was a good coffee or not, or what happened thereafter. All I remember was that it was quite a remarkable event.
What does it take to be remarkable?
So, I guess my takeaway was we all get too caught up in thinking that remarkable needs to be something massive or game-changing. But really, it’s the little things that make the difference.
It’s not just about big gestures or over-the-top extravagance; it’s about adding a little something extra to every interaction. It’s about being different, unexpected, and remark-worthy.
It’s the ability to remark on something and be that little bit different. Something you weren’t quite expecting. Something that you can remark on.
The challenge for us all
But how do we take this to the next level in our businesses? How do we create remarkable experiences at every touchpoint? You could:
- Add a joke to your invoices to put a smile on customers’ faces
- Include educational content or inspirational quotes in your communications
- Surprise customers with a lollypop or a personalised message in deliveries
- Answer the phone differently – with a personal touch
The challenge is to make every customer touchpoint more remarkable and different. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to overlook the little things. But by focusing on these small moments of delight, you can create an unforgettable experience for your customers.
I remember calling up Vinomofo about five or six years ago (now technology’s come a long way), but they answered the phone by saying, “Hi, Ben, how are you doing?”. Obviously, their system was set up to pick up my phone number and who I am but once again it blew my socks off – another remarkable experience.
Add a touch of remarkability to your business
The key takeaway is that remarkable experiences are built on the accumulation of small moments over time. They’re the foundation of memorable and remarkable experiences that drive customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.
It’s the game-changing little things that add up, over time, to a remarkable business. And remarkable experiences are at the cornerstone of all great marketing! Because that’s what they’re going to tell their friends about.
