The Little Things Make 'Em Feel Special

At my former company we built incredible loyalty amongst our customers not just from the products we sold and the services we offered.  No we built a special bond and loyalty amongst our customers from the cookies we brought them!

A local cookie supplier provided frozen cookies to area restaurants and for those school fundraisers the neighborhood kids are always bugging you about.  Well we found a small little portable oven and purchased a monthly supply of a wide variety of cookies and started making cookie bags to surprise and delight our customers.  And boy was it a hit!  People would see me walking up to their building with these beautiful bags we placed the cookies in and they would greet me with big smiles and warm hugs as I entered their offices. 

When I sold my company in 2004 and the new entity that purchased us decided that the cookies were an unnecessary expense I was extremely disappointed.  In fact I remember the new owner and I arguing pretty loudly about how it was the little things that kept our customers loyal and willing to spend more with us on average than they would with our competitors.  I put up a good fight but in the end the cookie program was abandoned and I left shortly thereafter.

Every once in a while I will run into one of our former customers at a event I am speaking at and every time the conversation turns to how much they miss having me and my staff serving them and of course they always talk about "the cookies!"  Most of those customers have left the company that purchased us I am sorry to say and that makes me sad, but not surprised.  When the new owner decided that there was no budget for creating a delighted customer then the clock started ticking on how long our customers would stick around.

Whether you are running a business, interfacing with customers, leading employees or just trying to be a good team member, remember.....it's the little things that make people feel special.  They'll go the extra mile, spend the extra money and remain loyal to those people who make them feel appreciated.  It works every time and creates a memorable Ripple for them and for you every time you do it!

That my friends is a simple but highly effective means of Rippling yourself to success!

Ripple On!!!