Forty-five years ago last month I experienced greatness in the making, however, I just didn’t know it at the time. As a bright-eyed 16-year-old, I attended the Orchestra Palace Theater in downtown Providence, RI on Saturday, April 27, 1974, to enjoy a concert. The bands playing were Mott the Hoople in the lead with Ken Lyons and Tombstone as a local backup band of which I was both familiar with. There was one other backup band that I was unfamiliar with that was placed in the middle.
When the unknown backup band came out on stage, they obviously were like no other band I have ever witnessed. They were absolutely electrifying. They possessed an energy that was incredible which played through their music. The lead singer wearing a tight jumpsuit was pacing from one side of the stage to the other while wheeling the microphone stand in the air like a baton. They simply captivated and mesmerized the audience for the entire time that they presented on that stage. It was a gift, an unexpected surprise that impacted me in such a way that I’m here sharing it with you forty-five years later.
Yes, that band was Queen. I witnessed Queen before anyone really knew who they were. They were so entertaining that when the lead band came to play, the sentiment at least mine send them back and just get those other guys back on stage.
Why do I share this story and what does this have to do with business? Actually, it has everything to do with business. I attended an event and was surprised with something extraordinary, something myself and no one else in the crowd expected. We were blessed with a gift that evening that still resonates with me forty-five years later. They gave us a performance that we will always remember.
What would happen if a product and/or service experience with your organization by a first-time customer replicated this type of feeling? An experience that the customer wasn’t quite ready for, a completely unexpected and pleasant surprise. An experience that they could not stop talking about. An experience that they would tell everyone they knew. An experience that would be your marketing brand felt through-out your community for years to come. An experience that is simply called “The WOW Factor!”
What are you doing to wow your customers? Here are some examples of the WOW factor.
- When you check in the Hard Rock they will let you sample a Gibson guitar. Check-in, plug-in, and rock out.
- Rite Aid follows up with a friendly call to check on a patient.
- When Safe lite repairs or replaces your glass, they also vacuum your car and clean your windows.
- At the Pacific Cafe in San Francisco while you wait for your table, you will enjoy a glass of wine on the house.
- The Nurse Next Door nursing agency a franchise out of Canada takes the idea of ‘humble pie’ literally by delivering a pie when they make a mistake.
These are just a few examples of the WOW factor that keeps your customers talking about your organization long after the transaction is over. The last example is after the company makes a mistake however, they still capitalize on that opportunity to make an impact.
I encourage you to empower your team to each come up with just one idea of which your organization can set themselves apart from the rest of the crowd. Brain storm and mastermind these ideas at a morning meeting with your entire group. Place your energy in this area and before you know it the community just may be singing praise about your WOW Factor!