Currently, I am working on a new keynote speech and project that I’m calling “The Customer Algorithm.”
The idea came to me as I was driving a rental car from Tucson to Phoenix. Construction on the Interstate had traffic at a standstill, and I was likely going to miss my flight. This raised the possibility that it might be more productive for me to simply travel to my next speech rather than return home for a day before hitting the road again.
When I called the airline, the AI voice recognized my name and frequent flyer status. It was friendly and made me feel that it wanted to help. However, while it could’ve helped me pick a later flight to the same airport, it was not prepared to help change my destination. I found myself alone in my Hertz rental, repeatedly shouting, “REPRESENTATIVE!”
You know that organizations are increasingly turning to AI to support their customer experience strategies. While AI offers numerous benefits, it is crucial not to overlook the importance of the human element in delivering the Ultimate Customer Experience®. Emotional intelligence is the key to building trust and loyalty — essential components of any successful CX strategy.
As my recent travel experience suggests, human agents are better suited to handle unique or unexpected situations that fall outside the scope of AI’s programmed responses. People on your team should be able to think creatively, draw from their experiences, and offer personalized solutions. This flexibility is particularly valuable in industries where customer needs and preferences can vary widely, such as retail, healthcare, and hospitality.
However, this does not mean that your organization should shy away from implementing AI in your CX strategies. AI can be a powerful tool for handling routine inquiries, providing quick access to information, and streamlining processes. The key is to find the right balance between AI and human interaction, leveraging the strengths of each to create a seamless and efficient customer experience.
The obvious question is, how do you achieve this balance?
Organizations must invest in training their human agents to work effectively alongside AI. This includes teaching your AI how to hand off conversations smoothly and when to escalate issues to a human agent. Your team must be trained on how to leverage AI-generated insights to provide better service. Additionally, organizations should prioritize transparency, letting customers know when they are interacting with an AI and offering the option to speak with a human agent if needed – without requiring them to shout “REPRESENTATIVE” repeatedly to get to one!
Another important consideration is the continuous improvement of AI systems based on customer feedback and interactions. By analyzing data from both AI and human interactions, you can identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your AI algorithms to better meet customer needs.
AI is a valuable addition to any CX strategy, but it is not a replacement for the human element.
The Ultimate Customer Experience® requires a balanced approach that leverages the efficiency of AI and the emotional intelligence of your team members. By investing in the right mix of technology and human talent, organizations can create a customer experience that drives customer retention and referrals, which means profitability for your organization.
If you’ve followed my work for any period, you know that my research and focus is on creating distinction. It’s usually assumed that I’m targeting organizations and how they can generate a marketplace advantage. However, creating distinction is essential for individual professionals seeking to stand out in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace.
Here’s a brief exploration of why — then how — professionals can achieve this based on the Four Cornerstones of Distinction from my books, “Create Distinction” and “ICONIC.”
Why Personal and Professional Distinction is of Critical Importance:
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
Today’s professionals are constantly vying for attention amidst a sea of competitors. Creating distinction helps you differentiate yourself, making it easier for potential clients, employers, and partners to recognize and remember you. This differentiation is not just about being different; it’s about being perceived as uniquely valuable.
Building a Personal Brand
Your personal brand is the unique combination of skills, experiences, and personality that you present to the world. Creating distinction involves honing and consistently presenting your personal brand. A strong personal brand can lead to more significant opportunities, higher credibility, and a loyal following.
Enhancing Professional Opportunities
I’ve often said that when you stand out, you earn more. This is because you are more likely to attract the attention of potential clients, employers, and collaborators. Distinctive professionals often find themselves with more opportunities to participate in high-profile projects.
Driving Personal and Professional Growth
A line that has been used for many years in our National Speakers Association is that “School is never out for the pro.” Creating distinction encourages continuous self-improvement and learning. By striving to be unique and excellent in your field, you push yourself to acquire new skills, knowledge, and experiences that contribute to your overall growth. Let’s face it: the world is changing more rapidly than ever before. Your key to relevance is ongoing growth – both personally and professionally.
Fostering Trust and Loyalty
When you distinguish yourself, you create a unique identity that people can connect with. This connection fosters trust and loyalty, as people are more likely to engage with and support someone they perceive as authentic and exceptional.
The Four Cornerstones of Creating Personal and Professional Distinction
Cornerstone 1: Clarity
Clarity is about understanding and defining what makes you unique. It’s essential to articulate your unique value proposition clearly. A LinkedIn survey found that professionals who can clearly define their unique skills and strengths are 20% more likely to be viewed as leaders in their field. To achieve clarity, reflect on your skills, experiences, and passions. What can you offer that others cannot? Make sure this is communicated consistently and specifically across all your professional interactions.
Cornerstone 2: Creativity
Creativity involves thinking outside the box and bringing fresh, original ideas to the table. In a study by Adobe, 78% of respondents said that creativity is essential to economic growth. Creative professionals are often seen as more adaptable and innovative, making them more attractive to potential employers and clients. Engage in activities that stimulate your creativity, such as brainstorming sessions, attending creative workshops, or collaborating with diverse groups of people. It doesn’t have to be chaotic or undisciplined. Sometimes, it’s just a small tweak that can achieve large results.
Cornerstone 3: Communication
Effective communication is crucial in conveying your unique value to your audience. According to a report by the Harvard Business Review, professionals who communicate effectively are 50% more likely to have stronger personal and professional relationships. Ensure that your communication is clear, concise, and aligned with your personal brand. The key here is the importance of narrative. Stories are remembered when figures and facts are forgotten. Study how to craft and deliver compelling stories.
(For help with this, check out my online course titled “Distinctive Story.” It will teach you how it’s done! https://DistinctiveStory.com)
Cornerstone 4: Customer Experience Focus
Focusing on delivering exceptional customer experiences can set you apart from your peers. Research by PwC shows that 73% of customers say that a good experience is key in influencing their brand loyalties. For individual professionals, this means going above and beyond in every interaction, whether with clients, colleagues, or partners. By consistently providing exceptional service and value, you build a reputation that distinguishes you from others in your field.
In a world where competition is fierce, creating distinction is not a luxury but a necessity for individual professionals. By focusing on the Four Cornerstones of Distinction—Clarity, Creativity, Communication, and Customer Experience Focus—you can effectively stand out and achieve greater success in your professional journey. Distinction not only sets you apart but also paves the way for a more fulfilling and impactful career.
Remember, creating distinction is an ongoing process that requires dedication, creativity, and a relentless focus on delivering value.
You know that in today’s business landscape is more competitive than ever. This means that providing an exceptional level of customer experience is more crucial than ever, too!
While the specific needs and expectations of customers may vary depending on your industry and context, here are six key elements that should be present in every customer interaction to create what – for over three decades — I have called an Ultimate Customer Experience.®
1. Empathy and Understanding
One of the most fundamental aspects of superior customer service is the ability of the business to demonstrate genuine empathy and understanding towards its customers. This means actively listening to their needs, concerns, and preferences and adapting the service accordingly.
Whether a hotel front desk clerk greets a guest with a warm smile or a funeral director offers a compassionate and respectful presence, the ability to connect with customers on an emotional level is essential.
However, taking it to the Ultimate Customer Experience® means that you take it to a higher level.
Good service is the desk clerk smiling when you approach. UCX is when you ask the guest to tell you about their day and express empathy for a late flight or long day.
2. Personalization and Customization
Customers appreciate when their experience feels tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This can be achieved through personalization and customization. By leveraging customer data, businesses can provide targeted recommendations, personalized communications, and customized solutions.
For example, a hotel may offer room preferences based on a guest’s previous stays, while a funeral home may provide customized memorial services that reflect the deceased’s unique life and personality.
I was just interviewed by Bosch & Lomb for a publication they provide to optometrists around the world. I told them that the difference is between making me feel like it’s the twentieth vision exam you’ve done that day – or that you convince me that you are focused on a thorough checkup of MY eyes.
3. Convenience and Ease of Use
In our fast-paced world, customers value convenience and ease of use. Businesses should strive to simplify processes, minimize friction points, and provide seamless experiences across various touchpoints. This can include intuitive online booking systems, mobile apps for easy access to information and services, and streamlined check-in and check-out procedures.
By removing barriers and making interactions effortless, businesses can enhance the overall customer experience.
Do a thorough checkup of where friction is created in your customer’s experience.
4. Responsiveness and Reliability
Customers expect prompt and reliable service. When they have a question, concern, or request, they want to know that their needs will be addressed in a timely manner. This requires businesses to have efficient communication channels, well-trained staff, and robust systems in place to handle customer inquiries and issues.
Whether it’s a quick response to an email, a 24/7 customer support hotline, or a proactive approach to problem-solving, responsiveness and reliability are key to building trust and loyalty.
I called a business the other day that stated on its inbound message service, “We respond to your calls within four business days.” What!?! No customer wants to wait that long for a response. I’ll find someplace else to take my business.
5. Attention to Detail
Small details can make a big difference in the customer experience. Businesses should pay close attention to every aspect of the customer journey, from the initial point of contact to the post-purchase follow-up.
This can include thoughtful touches like personalized greetings, well-maintained facilities, carefully curated product displays, and even small gestures of appreciation. By going above and beyond in the details, businesses can create memorable experiences that leave a lasting positive impression on customers.
6. Continuous Improvement
Creating an Ultimate Customer Experience® is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. Businesses should actively seek customer feedback, monitor industry trends, and embrace innovation to stay ahead of the curve.
As I previously mentioned, the specific elements of a great customer experience may vary depending on the industry and context. However, we’ve reviewed six key components that should be present in every customer interaction.
By prioritizing empathy, personalization, convenience, responsiveness, attention to detail, and continuous improvement, your organization can create an Ultimate Customer Experience® that sets you apart from the competition and fosters long-lasting customer relationships.
What do you do when you find yourself in a downturn?
No one enjoys this situation – and often, the result is that we start marketing obsessively, creating an appearance of desperation for business. Ironically, no prospect or previous client is attracted to a company that seems to be hurting for customers.
Instead, we need to consider a more guided and reassured approach.
Within the professional speaking segment of my career — as opposed to the consulting and education/training aspects of what we do — I’ve noticed that spring often brings a bit of a slowdown in activity. A smaller number of conferences and conventions are held when school is not in session, and families are taking vacations, so we typically get fewer calls in the spring to book speeches for meetings in the summer months. (It’s why the National Speakers Association has always scheduled their annual convention in the summer!)
And 2024 is part of the four-year cycle of both a Presidential election here in the States and the Olympic games occurring in the same year. This often means that keynote slots usually filled by professional speakers will now go to political analysts and successful athletes.
Is there a typical time when you experience a lull in your business?
It’s tempting to view these quieter periods as detrimental. However, it’s crucial to recognize them for what they are: seasonal adjustments, part of a natural ebb and flow in the cycle of business.
Understanding the patterns of our professional landscape can transform how we perceive and react to these lulls. Instead of succumbing to frustration, we can view them as an opportunity to regroup and realign our strategies. Here are four approaches to re-motivating oneself during these slower periods:
1. Strategic Planning and Goal Setting
Use the quieter times for strategic planning and setting new goals. It’s an opportune moment to reflect on your business’s direction, evaluate past performances, and set clear, achievable objectives. This is not merely about continuation but a strategic recalibration to ensure that when the pace picks up again, you are ahead of the curve.
2. Skill Enhancement and Learning
Slow periods are ideal for personal and professional development. Whether it’s attending online workshops, reading the latest in your field, or learning a new skill that can add depth to your offerings, the investment in your growth will pay dividends when the demand picks up.
3. Strengthening Connections
Networking doesn’t only have to occur in peak business times. Reaching out to your network, checking in on colleagues, or even setting up informational interviews can foster relationships that yield future opportunities. This is also a perfect time to collaborate on new ideas with peers. Knowing you aren’t alone in this situation can provide assurance, as long as it does not become a “woe is me!” conversation. My mastermind group meets every summer – and a small group of pals and colleagues meet on Zoom every week. We help keep each other motivated and encouraged.
4. Innovative Experimentation
With more time at your disposal, experiment with new ideas that you wouldn’t during busier periods. Whether it’s a new marketing technique or a fresh topic for your speaking engagements, experimentation can lead to innovation and renewal. It was during a slower period in speaking that I created the concepts that became my bestselling book, “ICONIC.” You never know where your experimentation might lead!
Reflecting and Renewing for Enhanced Relevance
Reflecting on past successes can indeed be a double-edged sword, particularly for seasoned professionals who might worry about remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving market. Here’s how to reflect on your achievements and use them to foster continuous renewal:
Analytical Reflection: Examine your past successes to understand the qualities that distinguished you then and consider how these can be adapted or expanded upon to meet current trends and expectations.
Feedback Loops: Engage with peers, mentors, and trusted clients to get feedback on your current offerings. This can provide insights into how the market perceives your relevance and where there might be opportunities for innovation.
Personal Branding: Update your personal branding to reflect both your legacy and your adaptability to current market demands. This shows that while you respect and acknowledge your past work, you are also fully engaged with your industry’s present and future.
Continuous Learning: Embrace a mindset of continuous learning and curiosity. Being open to new ideas and approaches not only enhances your skill set but also signals to your industry that you are a dynamic and evolving leader.
Embracing Reverse Mentoring for Fresh Perspectives
Another powerful strategy I’ve employed to stay engaged and relevant during quieter times is reverse mentoring.
This involves partnering with younger professionals who not only value my experience but also challenge my thinking with their fresh, generationally unique perspectives. Here are four reasons why reverse mentoring is a critical element of staying motivated and relevant:
1. Cross-Generational Insights
Reverse mentoring allows for an exchange of ideas across generations, fostering a deeper understanding of emerging trends and consumer behaviors that are shaped by younger demographics. This can be particularly valuable for tailoring our strategies to meet the expectations of a broader audience.
2. Challenging Established Norms
Young professionals often bring a different approach to problem-solving and innovation. By engaging with reverse mentors, seasoned professionals can challenge their established norms and potentially outdated methods, ensuring that their strategies remain dynamic and adaptable to new market conditions.
3. Fostering Inclusivity
Reverse mentoring encourages a culture of inclusivity by validating the contributions of younger team members. It demonstrates a commitment to hearing diverse voices within the organization, which can inspire loyalty and a positive work environment.
4. Mutual Benefits
While reverse mentoring is designed to benefit the more experienced professional, it’s a reciprocal relationship. Young professionals gain from exposure to the seasoned insight and strategic thinking of their mentors, enriching their professional growth and understanding of the industry.
Incorporating reverse mentoring into your professional life not only bridges the gap between generations but also injects new zest into your career.
It’s a testament to the idea that learning and motivation are lifelong processes, invigorated continually by new challenges and perspectives.
Every professional will experience cycles of peak activity and slower periods. The key is to use these quieter times as strategic periods of growth and development.
By embracing these lulls as opportunities for strategic planning, learning, and innovation, you can ensure that you remain motivated and ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of your next busy season.
This post is a bit unusual for me. This is directed solely to my fellow #professionalspeakers and to those who desire to speak professionally.
It’s time for me to respectfully, but strongly, dispute some advice that is being shared by some that, if taken on its face, could be hugely detrimental to both your career personally and to the speaking business as a whole.
When asked to describe what it takes to become successful, Steve Martin said, “Market like crazy and do whatever it takes to get hired as a performer!”
No…wait. He did not say anything like that at all.
Instead, he said, “Become so good at what you do that you become impossible to ignore.”
Here’s the problem — Martin’s approach is significantly more difficult to undertake. It also leaves you less of a prospect for those who seek to sell you services that market your business, run your social media, write and publish a book, and any of the other myriad of pitches that anyone who calls themselves a speaker will encounter.
If Mercedes-Benz said, “Our job is to sell the car, not make a great car,” where do you think their reputation and profitability would be as compared to the esteem they have in the marketplace?
If Steve Jobs had stated, “Apple’s job is to sell the iPhone, not deliver a remarkable device,” we might still be carrying BlackBerrys. Instead, he drove his team to develop products that were “insanely great.”
Let me be clear: if you call yourself a professional speaker, your primary job is to serve your client by delivering a distinctive, amazing presentation.
You book the speech because you are so great on the platform that you become impossible to ignore as a speaker, thereby creating demand for your programs. If you think your primary job is to book the speech, your focus is on the wrong target — and can likely derail your long-term prospects for a successful career.
Look, I realize there will be many who will dispute my position here — or say this is the way it used to be but doesn’t apply to today’s meetings marketplace. All I ask you to consider are these two questions:
If you purchased a supremely marketed product or service that failed to deliver as promised, would you buy more of it and advocate it in the marketplace? Or would you never buy it again and tell others of your disappointment?
If someone tells you that booking the speech is your main job instead of delivering the presentation, is there the potential for a hidden agenda? Are they hoping to sell you a service that promotes your speaking without helping you improve your content and delivery?
Your job is to craft and deliver a presentation so compelling to the client and the audience that their loyalty becomes assured. I had someone tell me that my success as a speaker could be measured in the thousands of paid presentations that I’ve delivered. I gently disagreed. I think my success should be measured by how many terrific clients and meeting professionals have had me return and speak for their groups on multiple occasions.
A speaker does not work for one firm over 100 times, as I have for Merrill Lynch, because I thought my job was to book the gig.
You aren’t a keynote for seven consecutive years, as I am for Chrysler, because of marketing.
You don’t sign six-figure retainers, as we have with terrific partners like Volkswagen Australia, Juniper, and SkinCure Oncology, and more, because I hired a social media team.
(Please excuse this previous paragraph — I know it sounds braggadocios, and I apologize for that. It’s important to me, however, that you know I’m presenting my opinion from experience and evidence.)
There’s only one aspect that the “A-list” of professional speakers have in unison. In today’s meetings marketplace, thank goodness, there’s more diversity in speakers and in thought than ever before. But there is still this common denominator: the top speakers are all AMAZING on the platform.
Here’s a bit of tough love that we all need to hear in this profession: If you are not getting booked — and especially if you aren’t getting booked to return or through word-of-mouth recommendations — your problem is NOT your marketing.
Tammy and I were each driving our cars cross-country this week from Las Vegas to Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was in my car, and she was driving our SUV while pulling a small U-Haul trailer. Our older dog, Lucy, was in the car with me, and our puppy, Chloe, was Tam’s traveling companion. After a long day crossing I-40, we pulled off in Amarillo, Texas, to use some Hilton Honors points and stay at the Hampton Inn West just off the highway.
As it was difficult in the busy parking lot to find a space big enough for the SUV and trailer, the front desk clerk said that since I was a Diamond-level Hilton Honors guest, we could pull the combination into the two spots reserved for Diamonds on the side of the building. We dragged our luggage from both vehicles. Tam went to park her SUV and trailer as directed. I loaded our baggage on a cart, threw it into our room, and then returned to help her get both dogs out for a potty break, after which I’d park my car as she headed up to our hotel room.
I opened the door to the room, quickly got the luggage inside, and hurriedly returned to help my wife. The dogs finished their business, and Tammy headed to our room with them as I circled the lot, looking for a place to park my car.
As I re-entered the Hampton Inn, Tammy texted me a picture as she was calling me. Opening the closet, she found men’s dirty underwear and socks. I noted the TV was on when I opened the door to pitch the luggage in. I immediately became afraid that a person was still occupying the room and would return to find someone he would perceive as an intruder. I told her to exit the room immediately and wait for me to get up there to get our luggage.
As I told the front desk clerk what had happened, she said it “was impossible.” I asked her why I would make something like that up. Then I showed her the picture. She told me, “If your wife entered the room with those dogs, my manager says I can’t give you another room.”
I was incredulous. Would she even imagine we would stay in a room that had obviously not been properly cleaned—and perhaps had not been vacated? I might not have been as kind as I was previously, but I told her in no uncertain terms that we were getting another room. She made me wait as she texted her manager, who, after several minutes of leadership contemplation, told her to give us a different room.
I get Tammy and the dogs in the new room, go back up, reload the luggage, and move it down two floors to our new location.
Finally, at about 11 PM, we drift off to sleep. Until 1 AM when the phone in our room rings.
This time, the overnight clerk at the front desk ordered that I must move our SUV and trailer immediately or risk being towed away. I informed her that I parked where the last desk clerk told me to — and a bit coldly asked why she would call a guest at 1 AM anyway.
“My manager has made it clear that only Diamonds can park their cars in those spots.” I responded that I was a Diamond. “Yes, but you also parked a trailer in the other spot, and that’s against what my manager told me was permissible. If it’s not moved, it will be towed.”
So, I get up, get dressed, and head out into about 35 degrees and spitting snowfall. I asked the clerk to show me where to park so I wouldn’t be towed. She points to an empty space in another hotel’s parking lot. “You can park there—they don’t mind.”
“How will I know,” I ask, “that THEY won’t have me towed because I’m not a guest there?”
“They won’t care. It’s fine.”
Tired and upset, I park the SUV and trailer where she points — and move my car into one of the Diamond spots. I return to the room a little after 1:30 AM, adrenaline pumping because I’m so mad and frustrated. It takes me at least 90 more minutes to finally fall asleep.
As we check out about three hours later — exhausted and with a day’s drive ahead — the same overnight clerk tells me that three other cars — two with trailers — were towed away after I moved mine. (Which was, fortunately, just fine where I had parked it in the other hotel’s lot.) She presented the bill for the night at the hotel. (Even though we were using points for the stay, we were charged $95 for having two dogs with us.) I told her I wanted to have a few words with the manager.
She said, “After I told the manager about all the upset guests from the towing and everything, he told me he was sick and wouldn’t be in this morning.”
As we drove away, I realized that even though I was angry with those two clerks for obviously egregious behavior towards customers, the blame should rest on the missing manager. Both clerks were more concerned with upsetting the manager than their customers. Apparently, they were afraid of managerial reprisals for any deviance from “the policy” — even if their efforts were to ensure that the guests at the property were taken care of in the manner that the hotel promised in their marketing and branding efforts.
How about you and your team?
Would they be afraid that making it easier for the customer (like where a guest can park or moving someone from a dirty room) isn’t the priority and would cause them to be on the receiving end of managerial reprimands?
Have you trained them on the Ultimate Customer Experience®?
These desk clerks knew one thing: there would be hell to pay if they did something outside the lines of precisely what their manager had told them.
Keeping guests in a dirty room or towing their cars away in a strange city was acceptable as long as it fits within what the manager had outlined.
That’s bad management. Of course, you already knew that by how the manager hung his employees out to dry by calling in sick after being told there were upset customers wanting his attention.
One final thing: I called the Hilton “Customer Cares” line the following day while driving to tell them about my horrible experience. A woman I could barely understand — as her English obviously was not yet fluent — told me she could put my points back into my account.
I replied that I also wanted a refund of the $95 because I didn’t want that property to have a cent of my money — and that they had failed on the aspect that’s the bare minimum of what a hotel guest has a right to expect: a decent night’s sleep.
She told me that was beyond what her manager would let her do, and she’d have to escalate my case. I said I would like to speak to a supervisor. She replied that it was impossible — just check my account in 48 hours, and I would know what they had decided.
I hung up and just shook my head as I proceeded down the Interstate. If that’s how they treat their best customers as a Diamond Hilton Honors member — how do they take care of (or not) their occasional guests?
And why should I choose a Hilton brand in the future as opposed to another? (They might save the $95 — and lose thousands in future business. We will see…)
What happened to me isn’t important to your business, but the question about how your employees treat your customers is.
