What’s Your Popsicle?

5by5 CRO Mike Schatz

It’s amazing how many “firsts” I can remember and how vivid those memories still are. The first time I rode my bike without training wheels, first kiss, first solo drive, first prom, first real job, first speech before a big audience, first job promotion, first time starting a business…I could go on.  We remember firsts!  More particularly, we remember moments.  Our whole life is a series of moments. Truth be known, I’m a moments junky.  I love memorable moments, and intentionally making them happen.

What I didn’t realize until recently was how powerful moments could be relative to giving you a competitive advantage in business.  Dan and Chip Heath wrote extensively on the subject in their book, The Power of Moments. It is a fantastic book! The reality is the number of leaders that incorporate moments into their business strategy is so few, that if you do it, you’ll immediately stand out.

Think about it.  Of all the businesses you interact with, think about the ones that have actually done something for you that was so special, so memorable that couldn’t wait to tell others about it!  I’m talking about something that goes beyond the basic service or product you paid for.

The Heath Brothers propose creating moments that matter, great experiences that hinge on peak moments.  They call them “defining moments: short experiences that are both meaningful and memorable.”  Have you incorporated such a thing in your business strategy?

Maybe your business environment is like ours, super competitive.  If so, incorporating moments that your customers or donors rave about could be the one distinctive that gets you above the fold.  When all things are equal (price, service, reputation) this could be the one thing that tips the scales your way.

Consider the story from The Power of Moments about The Magic Castle Hotel that gets significantly better reviews than the nearby super service hotels like the Four Seasons, Ritz, Marriott and others.  Their moment revolves around their popsicle hotline.  Imagine a cherry red phone by a pool. You pick up the phone, someone politely answers, “Popsicle hotline,” and you go about ordering those tasty cool frozen treats. Then they’re delivered by a white-gloved attendant on a silver tray.  And they’re free! That little moment gets them rave reviews and the best of all new patrons.   

At our agency, we’ve really adopted this philosophy into our overall business mix.  We’ve incorporated moments around the onboarding of our new team members.  We’ve incorporated a moment into our day-long strategy sessions with new clients.  We’re experimenting with key moments that revolve around things our clients love.  I can tell you this, so far each moment has made a strong favorable impression and boosted goodwill.

Beware, it’s harder than you think to create a peak moment, but it’s totally worth it.  We’ve seen these benefit, and I believe you will too when you incorporate moments into your business strategy:

• Memorable Reviews
• Client Referrals
• Employee Retention
• Customer Loyalty
• More Revenue!

So what’s your “popsicle”?    Figure it out and you’ll give yourself an edge.  Or don’t and you might find your customers enjoying popsicles elsewhere.