I Thrive on Creating Memories and Having Experiences.

I structure my personal life around the memories that I want to make and the experiences that I want to have. When I make decisions, I think about what I want to create in my own world - and the world of those around me. Will I remember this experience, and will it have meaning for me 5-years from now? That is my litmus test.

These are the same principles that apply in business. When we think about customers today - they are seeking those special experiences that will create memories that last. That sounds simple, but our research shows that most companies don’t create memories for their customers at all. They deliver transactions. The problem with transactions - even great ones - is that they are relatively easy to replicate by the competition.

This week, while I was out snowshoeing, I created a unique memory from that day, that specific trail, and that climate - that cannot be replicated. Customer Experience works the same way - it’s the combination of factors that you deliver to create a memory unique to that customer. The emotions, especially those that are unexpected, associated with those memories are what keep customers recommending and coming back.

I can’t wait to go snowshoeing back at Phelps Lake. Why? It’s not because I want to wear those specific snowshoes again, or I want to look at those specific trees or mountains, or even that I want to hear the crunch of that snow on that trail. I will go back because I want to FEEL that way again.