Deliver An Excellent Experience: Make Your Customer The Star

We are each the stars of our own movies, that’s just how we’re wired. But when it comes to delivering a great Customer Experience, you’ll have to accept a supporting role in their movie.

When I walk through the door of my favorite coffee shop my theme music kicks in. As I sit down to write a blogpost, like this one for example, all of the people sitting around me become characters in my movie.

There’s the young girl to my right who is frantically flipping through the piles of paperwork on her table, desperately searching for… Quite frankly I don’t really care what it is, because it doesn’t affect MY movie.

There’s a man sitting at the table in front of me, I’m guessing he’s a screenwriter. He seems to be struggling to craft the perfect scene in a film destined to win an Oscar, if he can just figure out the “cute-meet” between the two romantic leads… Truth be told, I have no idea what he’s working on.

Speaking of romance, there’s the cute girl sitting a few tables away in her baseball cap looking all, well… cute. (hey, I’m a blogger, not a poet). 

You know what I’m talking about right? Well, maybe not the theme music, but all the rest of it. If all I do is sit here and stare at the cute girl, she’ll never become anything more than an extra in MY movie. Our brains are full of important things, and by tomorrow I will have forgotten about her, and all the rest of these people, because there was absolutely no interaction between us.

As many of you already know I used to be in the Entertainment Industry, first as an actor, then as a director, and finally as a screenwriter. During that time I heard it said that an extra is like a living, breathing, potted plant, like expensive set decoration. To emphasize this point, these actors are often called “background.”

When your customer first comes into your place of business, you are no more then an extra in their movie. Your job is to work your way up the ladder and become a supporting character.

The difference between an extra and a day-player, is that the latter has lines. A supporting character takes it a step farther, and actually interacts with the lead. In a screenwriting class I took, the instructor said, “The best supporting characters don’t support, they push.” These supporting characters are so influential, they impact the main character’s life, and cause them to make choices that alter the course of the film.

Lets see how all this works in the real world. 

Say you’re the only one working today in a jewelry store, and Sam walks in while you’re with another customer. While Sam hovers around the watch case, both you and the other customer are extras, or background, in HIS movie.

When your customer leaves, you approach Sam and ask, “Looking for anything in particular?” Congratulations, you’ve just become a day-player in HIS movie. If Sam says, “Just looking.” and you leave to go do your paperwork, you probably will never become anything more.

According to the definition above, if you are able to sell him the watch he’s been looking for, you’ve just become a supporting character because you had a meaningful interaction with him. This is better for all concerned. Sam got the watch he needed, and he can stop wasting time in his “movie” looking for it, and you made a sale.

But if while you’re working with him, you discover that he’s been dating his girlfriend for nearly five years, and that he’s been considering proposing to her. You, being a good salesperson, take him over to the ring counter. Now, if while you’re working with him, he makes the decision to propose to her, and buys a ring from you, you’ve become a much more important supporting character in Sam’s movie. His interaction with you has caused him to make a choice that will forever alter the course of his life. This is where “Best Supporting” Oscars get earned.

This kind of a life-changing event would be considered an act break. Sam’s whole life up to this point was going one way, and in this moment, he will begin to chart a new course.

William Shakespeare, who knew a thing or two about storytelling has this quote that puts it all in perspective:

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”

As a person delivering Superhero Service, your job is to embrace your supporting role in your customer’s movie, and ensure that you have an impact in their life.

Tune in next week for more adventures from a Service Superhero, and I’ll show you how to turn your Customer’s Experience into a great moment in their “movie” by following the advice of a legendary filmmaker.

Remember, I can transfer my abilities, or Superpowers, to anyone who truly wants them. Let me know if you'd like to set up a training seminar for your service team, so you can begin to deliver "Superhero Service" to each and every one of your customers. 

If you agree or disagree with anything I’ve said here, or would just like to share a Service related story or insight, I'd love to hear from you. Please post a comment below.