A Gem from Noah Fleming – Creating Awe
Last week we took the girls to see a Disney’s Frozen on Broadway in New York City.
We happened to be sitting in front of a famous Hollywood actor. We got to talking before the show and while we were talking a man came over and said, “Excuse me….I’m sorry to interrupt you both….”
I assumed he was there to ask the movie star for a picture, but then he surprisingly looked at me and said said…. “…are you by chance, Mr. Fleming?”
“Why yes! That’s me!” I replied as cool as I could in front of my new friend.
The man presented me with a bag of goodies for my daughters and said: “This is just a small gift on behalf of your friends at Broadway for the work you’ve done with them.” My new actor friend was surprised, and perhaps a tad impressed. As the show began, I sat back in my seat and crouched down low enough to ensure I wasn’t also blocking his view.
I’d done some work for Broadway recently, and they knew I was bringing my daughters to this show, so they set up this gift and presentation for me. It was incredible, and it demonstrated to me that they were really paying attention to the messages that I’d been trying to get across in my work with them. With this one gesture, they managed to do the following:
- Create a memorable experience for my daughters and made their experience that much better.
- Make me look like a rockstar in front of my girls (and the famous actor!)
I’ve talked and written extensively about the power of creating experiences and memories – and this is one of the best examples I’ve ever had the good fortune to be part of.
What do you think it cost Broadway to do this??
How do you think they managed the logistics?
The answer, of course, is that whatever it cost them, and whatever the effort involved, it’s compared to the return they get by creating this kind of “over the top” experience.
It’s so downright simple that anyone, in any business, in any type of industry could do for clients, vendors, suppliers, and more.
Think about your company for a moment – let’s assume that you can split your clients into the top 10% and everybody else, in terms of lifetime revenue.
What if you could create an experience like this, for each of your top clients, even just once a year?
What kind of impact do you think that would have, vs. the “same old same old” boring marketing crap?
Why can’t you? Why aren’t you? What can you do, starting today?
We’ve talked before about the power of these types of “Trophy Experiences.” The kind of things that your clients will love in the moment, and more importantly, that they’ll want to talk about later.
The kind of experiences that make your clients feel like superstars. The kind of experience that makes them feel like they’re the most important people in the room (even if that room is one of the most popular plays, attended by a who’s who of the acting world).
This tidbit is short because it’s simple.
Your challenge for this week is clear: What can you do to create a feeling of awe for a group or segment of your clients, or your vendors, or your suppliers, or even better – for one of their clients but bestowing the value to them? Send me an email and let me know what action you’ll take, or if you need help brainstorming some ideas.
Best,
Noah
