My First Birthday Present!

Someone gave me a birthday present - my best one yet! If you recall, I asked for a birthday present in the form of "Wow!". Except my request was for each of you to take the opportunity to "Wow!" someone else and then tell me about it.

Well I just got my first story and I'm excited to share it! And by the way, I'll take my birthday present anytime in the next 350 days...

This person has requested to stay anonymous so I won't divulge a name but their story is pretty cool.

First, this hunter eagerly looked for an opportunity! Not content to take out some puny target with the awesome weapon of "Wow!", the hunter was fully loaded with Surprise, Awe and Delight and he wasn't looking to waste ammo on just anything that came across his path.

Finally the opportunity came into range and it was a beaut! This was the perfect chance to see what this "Wow!" stuff would do.

Of course it should be told that this hunter was no rookie. He understood how to bag game - he'd done it plenty of times. And because of that he knew precisely what it would take to drop this trophy opportunity. But that's what makes this a great story.

He didn't do just "enough". He didn't just settle for an outcome that would be just okay. He didn't settle for good when there was occasion to achieve greatness.

So he pulled out all the stops and even though I wasn't there to witness the scene, I have no doubt it was a spectacle to behold! This trophy opportunity probably didn't even know what hit him!

The target was first Surprised into shock - "Such preparation!"

Then they were besieged with Awe as they were empathized with and made to feel vitally important through understanding of their issues and how those could be resolved.

And when the smoke had settled, a sense of Delight pervaded the battlefield. The vision had been made clear, there was hope, there was a sense of purpose - "Wow!" had been delivered.

Thanks hunter for finding the opportunity and taking your shot. Your clients got much, much more than they were expecting and this just the beginning.

Thanks for my birthday present - it truly "Wowed!" me!

Play a Bigger Game

The game of life is much less about winning as it is finishing. My dad always said to me, "Finish well son, finish well."

It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

I've heard numerous stories of the marathon runner who came in dead last but received more applause than the one who finished first. Why is this?

Because they were playing a bigger game. They weren't winning, they were finishing. Finishing is more admirable. Finishing shows more pig-headed determination, more guts, more heart.

We see a finisher and we say "Wow!"

We see a winner and we say "Congratulations."

I'd rather be a finisher than a winner. I'd rather play a bigger game that demanded everything from me than settle for winning a game that is easily won.

This is why I do what I do. It demands something from me.

It demands that I keep finishing.

Don't worry about winning, finish strong.

Finish strong.

(And thanks dad for the advice, it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.)

Parade or Bulls eye?

As the self-proclaimed Architect of "Wow!" I feel it my honor bound duty to tell the truth. There are many companies, small businesses, employees, or just people in general who deserve a parade. Something about them just makes them special. Worth talking about.

Others deserve a big fat bulls eye on their foreheads. You know who you are. Or you know who they are.

So I'm going to start telling the truth. I'm going to start using this blog as a place where I sound off about who I think deserves those parades. I'm also gonna be pretty blunt who deserves a bulls eye...I welcome your comments too by the way.

I've already talked about Chick-fil-A and Toms Shoes. Give 'em Parades!

My experience with Verizon Wireless the other day? Bulls eye. Get better or your days are numbered. Bloated, bureaucratic, and idiotic.

This will be a regular feature - stay tuned!

Friday's "Duh" Book Excerpt

An excerpt from an amazing book (Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You've Got) by an amazing author, Jay Abraham.

"Awesome service is admirable but trite. Falling in love with your clients means taking responsibility for their well-being. Putting their best interests ahead of your own.

Most people think, 'What do I have to say to say to get people to buy?' Instead you should say, 'What do I have to give? What benefit do I have to render?' It has nothing to do with sales shenanigans or trickery or schemes. It has everything to do with what benefits you give your clients.

The focus of your concern should state to the client, in essence, 'You matter. Your well-being is important to me.'"

Stop being selfish - it's killing you.

Crisa-tunity, a modern day fable

Imagine Opportunity toodling down a street called Avenue of Hopes and Dreams. Minding it's own business, it's looking ahead, driving cautiously, staying in its proper lane and obeying all signs and signals.

While on a perpendicular road called Real Life Street, Crisis is careening wildly out of control (which is exactly what Crisis likes to do by the way). Crisis is blatantly disregarding all signs and taking out pedestrians left and right - they never saw him coming...

At just the perfect moment, at the intersection of these two lanes, Crisis and Opportunity meet in a violent collision!

Wreckage. Chaos. Disbelief.

"It just happened", they say...

As the smoke clears, a strange sight is uncovered. Out of the obliterated destruction caused by these two meeting so suddenly, a new road has appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Crisa-Tunity Boulevard has been born.

Out of certain impending doom came unseen favorable circumstances that couldn't have been imagined before.

Crisis isn't hard to find. Finding the Tunity is a little more of a challenge.

You up for it?

Where's your Courage?

I don't know about the rest of the world, but we Americans love to boil things down.

"What's the bottom line?" we ask...

"What's the shortest distance between here and there?" we demand from our GPS...

"Right, right, too many details, can you get to the point of the story?" I too often think (and sometimes say) when my wife is trying to tell me about something that happened during her day...

We like bullet points, linear thinking, and summations. We like it all neatly wrapped up, nothing extraneous, nothing out of the ordinary. We've been trained for mediocrity. We've learned to expect the expected.

Courage, on the other hand, is getting the whole story. Courage is listening and finding out the unexpected.

Courage is not making a decision based solely on the numbers in the spreadsheet. Rather it is hearing from people what they think, how they feel, what they expect, how they've been let down, what they're afraid of, or what makes them incredibly happy.

Courage does not believe in one-size-fits-all. It takes courage to "Wow!" because let's be honest, it's kinda out there. It doesn't seem normal to think about clients more than you think about yourself.

It doesn't seem normal to serve without being served first. Unless you think courageously, that is.

Find the courage to "Wow!"

I'll boil it down for you: Shut up and listen. Dare to be different.

It's my birthday - what're you gonna do about it?!

Today is my birthday. A day to ponder on past, present and future. A day to receive presents just for being born (It wasn't my idea, but I'm okay with it).

And here's the present I want from you...

I want you to "Wow!" someone! Not me, somebody else. I want to see YOU put "Wow!" into practice! And I want you to tell me about it so I can brag on you! Be sure you email me what you did (jason.northington@gmail.com) so I can tell your story!

Here are a couple idea starters:

• Pay the toll for the person behind you
  
• Buy a pair of Toms shoes
  
• Compliment a stranger - for anything
  
• Thank someone for something they did for you - at least 6 months ago
• Volunteer an hour somewhere
• Buy a Ferrari for someone then send them on an all-expenses paid trip to Italy to pick it up
  

Big or small, doesn't matter.

Go forth and "Wow!" The bragging rights are up for grabs!

Why "Wow!"? (Part 3)

Well here's the third and final ingredient of "Wow!" Always semi-elusive, but worth striving for. You've been introduced to Surprise and Awe and trailing not far behind is Delight.

Delight. Not a word used too often. But an important, if often overlooked ingredient.

Here's a story to illustrate Delight.

I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia on a beautiful piece of property that bordered a national forest. My grandparents bought the land in 1980 and my parents moved there from Florida to build a home several years after my grandparents had purchased it.

I have a lot of fond memories growing up "on the farm". Many of these revolved around hot summers when me and my Granddad (a delightful man!) would take a walk through the woods. Never lacking for a piece of candy or a happily whistled tune, my Granddad would point all kinds of plants and animal tracks to me. We'd sip icy cold water from a spring nestled between mountain ridges and imagine what it was like to live 100 years ago up in these hills.

Following those walks we'd inevitably end up on his back porch that overlooked Chestnut Mountain perched comfortably in our rocking chairs. We'd rock and laugh and wait patiently for what we knew was to come. It was almost delivery time.

This meant Grandma bringing us small margarine containers (Grandma wasn't one to waste a good container...or anything else come to think of it...) full of homemade ice cream that had been stored away in the big deep freeze for such an occasion as this.

Absolutely delightful. There was almost a reverence to those moments. They were so special, so delightful that they needed to be captured and frozen in time much like the peach ice cream that we were eating.

This is "Wow!" It's an experience that is so simple yet so profound. It's sharing a moment, sharing a laugh, sharing a story, sharing life. It's delight.

Delight is found in the simple things. A warm, freshly baked cookie offered to your clients when they walk in your office could be an example of this. Sending a handwritten thank-you card for a referral that a happy client gave along with a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks could be another.

Small gestures, big returns. Are you a delight or a drag?

Why "Wow!"? (Part 2)

In my last post I talked about one of the ingredients of "Wow!" which was Surprise. Today I'm going to talk about another element.

I'd like to introduce you to Awe.

You may have seen his handiwork before. He's known for showing up in fireworks displays, brilliant sunsets, and majestic vistas such as the Grand Canyon.

But there's a little secret about Awe - he's most often found in the details. Let me explain with a story.

Not far down the road from me is a little amusement park called Disney World. They claim to be The Happiest Place on Earth. I like that. It sounds like the Architect of "Wow!" After all, would you want to call yourself the The Pretty Okay Place? Or The Better Than Nothing Place? No, of course not. Shoot for the moon baby!

And if you didn't know it already, Disney is pretty good at delivering "Wow!" And one of the ways they do this is to create Awe. They know how to deliver and they know it's all in the details.

When the Pirates of the Caribbean ride first opened, Walt asked a Cast Member what she thought about the ride. After some hesitation she said something seemed to be missing. So Walt did the only sensible thing and shut it down so they could figure out that was. After extensive research they found the missing element...

Fireflies.

That was the missing piece that brought it all together. Fireflies. Awe is developed in the details. Always in the details.

I recently had a cup of coffee with a friend and he was telling me a story about meeting David Rockefeller Sr. briefly up in Maine. This is arguably one of the most powerful and influential behind-the-scenes people in the world. David's son, who was accompanying his dad on this particular trip, asked my friend of his dad had interviewed him.

My friend said no, that he had not been interviewed. With some surprise, the son told my friend that his dad made it a practice to interview the people that he met and find out personally relevant things about them. He would later commit those facts to memory so that when he saw them next he could ask them how their mother was, or how their dog was doing, etc.

Awe shows up in the details. What details are you overlooking? They may be the only thing between you and massive success.

Why "Wow!"? (Part 1)

That's a pretty tall order isn't it?

Why not just satisfy your clients, or meet their expectations? Why should "Wow!" be the measuring stick? Why can't you shoot for just plain 'ol good?

That's a great question.

Because good isn't good enough. Good doesn't strike the necessary emotional chord. Good has never produced joyous laughter or tears. "Wow!" produces emotion.

I've identified the 3 components that comprise "Wow!" The first of which is Surprise.

Surprise is the opposite of expected. Surprise is being greeted at my car door with an umbrella to shield me from the rain. Surprise is having your needs met before you even think to ask.

And believe it or not, Surprise is surprisingly easy to pull off. Sometimes Surprise is simply doing what you say you'll do (sad but true).

At the very least just run around shouting "SURPRISE!" randomly. It may not not increase your business but it will increase people's awareness of you - and that's probably more than you had before.

Thanks chicken man!

It was raining that Friday I pulled into Chik-fil-A. I was late for a meeting, the drive-through was packed, I was hungry.

Rather than waiting in line in the drive-through I opted for the wet route. So I parked my car and was immediately accosted by some man wielding a patio umbrella! Not some wimpy golf umbrella mind you, no, this was a serious patio umbrella. And the man accosting me happened to be the managing partner of this store who was demonstrating his care and concern for his clients. He didn't want me to get wet.

He escorted me to the front door while asking me how my day was going. And when I came back out, after spending my 6 bucks in his establishment, I noticed he was helping someone else. I got a little wet on the way back to my car but I didn't care - the important thing had already been done.

I'd already been "Wowed!"

Chik-fil-A has a really good chicken sandwich and judging by the line around the place I wasn't the only one who knew that. This guy could've been in the back with his feet kicked up on his desk counting his money. And was he?

Nope. He was walking around in wet shoes while escorting his valued and treasured clients to and from their cars with a patio umbrella. This is "Wow!" in action.

Thanks chicken man. Thanks for showing how easy it is to care for your clients. I'm going to keep telling your story because it inspired me.

What kind of toilet paper are you?

I am an Architect of “Wow!”

Hint: you should be one too if you want your business to last.

Seriously. And if you're not sure you agree think about your toilet paper.

Cheap one-ply toilet paper – is that the picture your customers have in their minds when they think of you? Scratchy, abrasive, does the job – but just barely?

What is the message this sends? “Our expenses are WAY more important than your comfort.” Ouch. And if that's the truth then it should hurt. And if you're the one doing that you should be ashamed of yourself.

Unless.

Unless you post a nice big sign right smack dab in front of the toilet that says something to this effect:

Dear valued client,

We here at (your name) Company would like to express our apologies for the cheap and irritating toilet paper you're about to use. We know it's certainly not the best but we give you that for a reason. We save so much money on toilet paper that we can lower the costs on all the other things that you buy from us. We hope you see this as a fair trade-off because we're committed to you, committed to saving you money (or providing you outstanding, jaw-dropping service, or free pony rides for your kids - whatever).

We love you,

The Management

The toilet paper might disappoint, but the sign might be your saving grace.

How do your clients think about you? And how are you creating that reality in their minds in EVERY SINGLE interaction that you have with them?

Are they “Wow-ed!” by you? Or are you cheap and irritating?

Mediocre and great – they're both choices. Your choice.

Toms Shoes

This is a great story you're about to read. And yet it's also achingly sad. And I'll give you a hint – the sad thing isn't the most obvious thing. Read on.

Blake Mycoskie just visited Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland recently. Big deal, who's he? Blake founded a company called Toms Shoes (www.toms.com) in 2006 after visiting Argentina while a contestant on the Amazing Race. He noticed that children there often lacked shoes so he decided to do something about it. He started a shoe company. Pretty awesome right? Not yet, hang on.

Seriously, how many shoe companies are out there already? A ton. But Blake didn't want to be like everyone else. Blake first of all decided to design his shoes patterned after a traditional Argentinian shoe that was a very basic flat shoe. He of course put his own spin on them so they have great, funky designs that appeal to hipsters and celebs alike. Oh, and Blake also decided to give away one pair of shoes for every pair that was bought. Pretty simple concept. You buy a pair of cool shoes for about 50 bucks and someone who needs a pair of shoes gets a free pair.

Surely you're now thinking, “Oh please, what a bleeding heart liberal! Guy probably makes no money and he's just in it for the publicity...”

Nope.

Toms Shoes is in fact not a non-profit. They make money. And they do good. They serve. They have a heart. And because of that heart, they've given away more than 400,000 pairs of shoes. They also don't have to advertise because everyone that buys a pair of Toms Shoes like to talk about their shoes.

So where's the sad part? Is it the little kids needing shoes? No, although that is sad. But here's the real sadness – at least for me. Toms Shoes is an anomaly. They are a bright light in the sea of mercenary businesses that are slicing each other's throats for their next transaction that puts another nickel in their pockets. And that makes them newsworthy. That makes them worth writing about. Sad that so many businesses aren't worth writing about.

This is the essence of “Wow!” It's the recognition of the human need and doing something about it. That's “Wow!” worthy.