The Cutting Edge

Roll Out the Red-Carpet: Celebrity Sighting Courtesy of The Make It Great Guy!

Just ran across this post by my friend Phil Geryshak, the Make It Great Guy! He recently had an experience with an employee of Hertz Rental in Kansas City, MO, which makes for a great Celebrity Sighting! Here's a person who knows how to own a customer's problem and find a creative way to say "YES, I can help you!

My friends, I ask you this: When have you been surprised by outstanding customer service?

Warmly, Donna

Roll Out The Red Carpet: Creating Movie Moments

Do you remember Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in "The Wizard of Oz?" Do you remember when Danny met Sandy wearing a letterman's sweater and she was dressed in leather from head to toe - and then they drove into the clouds in Greased Lightning? Do you remember Rocky running up the stairs of the Museum of Art in Philadelphia, hands raised triumphantly? And that moment in "The Sixth Sense" when you finally realized that Bruce Willis' character.....well, I won't spoil it, but if you saw the movie you know which one I mean.

Of course you remember. These were defining moments in those movies - full of surprise, passion, delight, excitement, intensity. More importantly, these are the moments everyone leaves the theater talking about! These are the moments that create BUZZ for the movie and encourage more people to buy a ticket.

It's when you can create those kinds of positive movie moments for your customers - unexpected go-the-extra-mile surprise and delight kind of moments - that they will begin to buzz about you and your business.

Here are some examples:

• A friend of mine recently told me about a time he was going out to a late dinner with his date. They arrived at their restaurant of choice, only to be told by the manager that "Sorry, they were closed." Disappointed, they turned to find another restaurant only to be stopped by the manager. "On second thought" he said, "why don't you come in?" He got them seated and the staff at the restaurant proceeded to bring out every single dish they still had in the kitchen - appetizers, entrees, deserts. He entertained them while his team continued closing the restaurant. They were so surprised and had such a great time (here it comes...) they TOLD EVERYONE THEY KNOW! That restaurant has no less than 30 new regular customers because that manager created a movie moment for my friend and his date.

Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and several books including one of my favorites, The Success Principles, told me the following story. He was on book tour and got to his hotel room at the Ritz Carlton past midnight. He was tired and hungry - and not sure where he would get something to eat. When he arrived at his hotel room there was a thermos on the table filled with hot, homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. There was a bowl, a napkin, a spoon and a note that read "Here's some Chicken Soup for Jack Canfield's body and soul." In his words, "I was so touched that they knew who I was and reached out to personalize my room in that special way." He has shared this story in his books, his speeches, and in The Celebrity Experience.

• An audience member recently told me about a "movie moment" she experienced with a clothing store. As she tells it, she shops at stores for plus size women. She always felt tied to one particular store and never found anything she really liked. Recently she found another store (I'm wishing I could remember the name) that sold clothing she really loved and in her size. She bought a couple of outfits and wrote to the CEO of the store exclaiming how happy she was to have found them. A short while later she arrived home to find a box at her doorstep. It was filled with several outfits, in her size, from that very store. The note read: "We are also glad you found us and am thrilled to have you as a new customer. Please enjoy these outfits with our compliments. We look forward to seeing you again!" Think she'll go back? Absolutely...and she tells everyone she knows about this experience.

Want positive buzz about your business? Create Movie Moments for your customers and soon you'll "have them at hello" and they'll be "showing you the money!"

So my friends, let me ask you, when was the movie moment you've experienced?

Donna Cutting

Roll Out the Red Carpet: Celebrity Sighting Terry Booth

  Recently, when I was in Nashville staying at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, I was playing online in my hotel room and ran across a blog post that mentioned my book. The author was Realtor Terry Booth and, coincidentally, she lived in Nashville. So I invited her to the hotel so we could meet.

Little did I know that I'd be meeting a master of Red-Carpet Customer Service.

Here are just a few things Terry does for her customers:

If a prospective customer is moving to Tennessee from another state, she sends them some delicious (I've tried it) homemade jam with a note that says "Before You Move, here's a Taste of Tennessee."

She also includes information about life in Nashville, Tennessee.

All of her customers get a "Celebrity Gift Bag" with a variety of items. (She implemented this when she read The Celebrity Experience)

She sends birthday and anniversary cards to all of her customers. She will even send cards to their children on their birthdays - including a coupon for ice cream.

Since in a "past life" she was an interior decorator, she provides a wealth of decorating tips to her clients.

All of Terry's customers get a gift when they close on a house - often it's a gift for their children or their pets.

Knowing how important it is to provide "wrap around" service, Terry continues the relationship after the closing. She emails her customers at least once a week for a month after closing with tips on restaurants, schools, shopping plazas, doctors, etc. Says Terry, "I truly want them to feel as though they've made a friend."

In a "down" market, Terry's real estate business is absolutely thriving. As she puts it, "Realtors have lots of competition. We all basically offer the same thing - the only thing that can set us apart is service. Many entrepreneurs choose not to spend money on service related activities because they feel they can't afford to. I feel as though we can't afford not to (spend money and time on customer service.)"

Kudos to Terry Booth for giving her customers The Celebrity Experience.

Welcome to The Cutting Edge

Welcome to The Cutting Edge, the new blog written by me – Donna Cutting, professional keynote speaker and author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service (Wiley, 2008). If you have traveled over from Gal Morale’s Blog, thank you for continuing the journey at The Cutting Edge. If you are brand new, thank you for joining the conversation! I look forward to hearing your viewpoint on the topics of red-carpet customer service and employee engagement .

If you are familiar with my previous blogs, The Cutting Edge is a combining of, and the discontinuing of, Gal Morale’s Blog and The Celebrity Experience Blog. Since engaged employees and high morale go hand-in-hand with delivering red-carpet customer service, I saw no need to have two separate blogs. Wouldn’t you agree?

You can expect to find three types of posts here at The Cutting Edge:

Roll Out the Red Carpet: Posts in this category will focus on customer service ideas, centered around the thesis of my book “The Celebrity Experience” – treating customers as stars. You’ll receive ACTION ideas for delivering red-carpet service, resources helpful to those who want to deliver celebrity service, and strategies for putting The Celebrity Experience to place in your workplace. You’ll read about “Celebrity Sightings” – people I’ve met along my travels that demonstrate red-carpet service principles; The Celebrity Experience Hall of Fame – updates on the people and companies featured in The Celebrity Experience; and The Celebrity Experience Hall of Shame – yes, we’ll discuss customer service horror stories as well.

On the Case with Gal Morale: Yes, Gal Morale is still around and she’ll help you crack the case of employee retention and engagement. As always, she’ll provide clues and ACTION ideas for rewarding and recognizing employees, communicating effectively, and having fun at work. You’ll spy on Gal’s interviews with informants on the topics of hiring, generations in the workplace, and more. Finally, you’ll get an insider’s peek as Gal Morale leaves a trail, leaking information about employee engagement – and how it relates to red-carpet customer service – across the country (and around the world!)

Behind the Scenes with Donna Cutting: Under this category, you get a backstage pass to meet the fascinating people I encounter on the road as a professional keynote speaker. I’ll answer the questions so many have asked me about getting published, becoming a professional speaker, and life on the road. Here especially you’ll be introduced to the work of other bloggers through links, references, and interviews. You’ll get occasional glimpses into my personal life. We might even do a little Cutting Up – heh, heh, get it? Cutting Up! Hmmmm…some of these are just for me.

As always, I welcome…no, I want…your thoughts, your insights, your participation and opinions….keeping in mind kindness and mutual respect.

So, my friends, I ask you this: Are you in?

Warmly, Donna