Last week a good friend of mine, Tim Jahn, did an amazing piece on a local non-profit organization, Chicago Street Musicians. In short, CSM celebrates, recognizes, and organizes Chicago-area street musicians by educating the public by providing performance opportunities for street musicians. After watching Tim’s video, I came away with one thought I couldn’t shake – it was the idea of “Suprising and Delighting” your customers.
It’s a theme I’ve read about often and strive to include in everything I do. Think about your own business, your blog, even yourself as an individual – do you strive to go above and beyond what your community expects of you, or are you merely content with satisfaction? If you’re goal is to only meet and not exceed expectation, you’re aiming too low. Do something (it doesn’t take much) to leave a memorable impression on EVERYONE you interact with. To quote a related article:
“Your customer-service policy should be bend-over-backward – Adding features and benefits on a regular basis that surprise and delight your customers. It means getting them accustomed to being delighted every time they buy a product from you.” – Michael Masterson
The Chicago Street Musicians are offering the masses something unique, something unexpected, a breath of fresh air and a smile on a gloomy day, something to tap your feet to when the music inside your head seems lost. It’s something you want to write blogs about. It’s something that deserves to be shared with the world. That’s what the power of the unexpected is all about.
What can YOU do today to surprise and delight your readers and/or customers? How will YOU leave an impact?