Ever since my father's bicycle accident, where he hit a rock at 35 mph, sailed through the air for what seemed like an eternity, smashed his noggin on the pavement , died for a minute and a half, brought back to life by a passing stranger, spent months in rehab, suffers from memory loss and has been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he has picked up an odd, almost southern accent.
Odd, because he has never lived in the south,
He spent 50 years living in the Hudson River Valley in NY.
The new accent is a mystery.......
Anywho, I just got off the phone with him, where he was telling me about the Celebrity cruise he just went on with his umm... ahh...girlfriend (I still have a hard time saying that).
One of the stories was about how they celebrated his birthday on the cruise.
At the end of dinner that evening, the waiter asked my father what he would like for dessert. My father replied, "Nothing Thank you" (which sounded like 'nuthin thaenk ya)
A few minutes later, the waiter reappeared with a dome covered plate. With great fanfare and exaggerated flourish, he removed the dome to reveal.....
Wait for it....
A plate
With nuthin on it....
Except the chef had written "Nuthin" in chocolate on the plate.
My dad finished the story with, "thayt nuthin wars really sumpthin" (please, if you are with the grammar or spelling police, do not email me to say I spelled 'that', 'was' and 'something' incorrectly.)
I could not agree more.
A memory was created that will not be forgotten (dads GF caught it on video), and the experience of that memory creation will be told thousands of times. Not only by my dad and his GF, but by me!
Let's break it down
How did the cruise line create this experience?
- Culture and Mission: The cruise line has a defined mission that all of their employees can wrap their heads around: "We focus on what luxury travelers want most"
- Hiring/Training: Celebrity screens and hires only those most inline with its mission: Exceptional, personalized service is what makes a Celebrity cruise so memorable for our guests. Every member of the Celebrity family is committed to providing impeccable service, with a focus on luxury. If you are more interested in fun, go work at Carnival
- Systemized WOW: They have trained their employees to be on the look out for how to create WOW's, and even further, PERSONALIZED WOW's for their guests.
- Attention to detail: Well geez... the waiter could have literally done nothing. Would my dad have noticed? Probably not. But would my father had told a story about dinner? Doubtful.
- Process: They have probably done the whole 'nothin on a plate' gag a thousand times. But it was the first time for my dad. When they hear an opportunity for wowing, they implement their process.
- Environment: Flourish and exaggeration. The cruise team knows that they are actors on a stage performing for their guests. They created the environment that enabled the personalized wow to occur.
And it cost almost NUTHIN
For the cost of the chocolate sauce on the plate (about $0.03) and the awareness of the waiter ( $0) my father was turned into a raving fan for the cruise line.
And that $0.03 investment will yield free advertising, which will in turn generate thousand in revenue.
An ROI of 266,666:1.
How did I arrive at such a number? Let's assume my dads story gets one couple to buy a cruise. Take the cost of a cruise for 2 = $8000, divide it by the cost of the chocolate sauce = $0.03 and you get a Return On Investment of 266,666 to 1.
Would you like your marketing to be generating a ROI of 266,666:1?
Well, you can.
You just need to create systems in place to ensure it happens.
Geez Vance, where do I get such a system? you are asking yourself.
I have already given it to you. (go back to the list above)
My Systematic Magic, 7 Magic Keys to Disnify Your Business Ultimate Client Experience.
In case it has been a while since you read my book, the 7 Magic Keys Are:
- Key #1 Details, details, details
- Key #2: Standards / Mission
- Key#3: The WOW Factor
- Key #4: Employee Magic
- Key #5: Environment
- Key #6: Process
And Magic Key #7 is The Magic Of Bringing It All Together.
If you would like a step-by-step process for generating similar results, join me in Orlando, FL where I will work with you to create your personal Ultimate Client Experience based on Systematic Magic....
