First name / Hi --
During a visit to one of my Atlanta doctors a couple of years ago, the nurse did the basic height and weight thing. Of course I made sure that I took off my coat and put down my purse before I stepped on the scale. Uggggg. It was still ten pounds higher than I hoped. And then she said the number out loud, and what she said was lower than the number on the scale. I looked at the nurse and she said, “oh, we take two pounds off of everyone’s weight.” What? Really? Love it! A pain point is any sort of discomfort, frustration, irritation, negative moment, etc. that your client or customer has as they interact with your business. Now, the doctor’s office example may seem like such a tiny thing, but the scale is a pain point. Don’t tell me that you’ve never stood on that scale and thought, “Shoot! Why did I wear jeans and my heaviest sweater? Heck, these earrings are massive. They probably weigh half a pound!” |
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Do you know your clients' pain points? I have a full blog post to help you with this - the link is below. The pain point(s) is always smaller than the primary problem that you are solving for them.
If you don't know the answer to the question above, your team/front line staff probably knows. Ask them, what are the questions that come up time and time again? What are the smallest things that people are exasperated about? Is there anything the staff is often apologzing for, or having to fix? Here's what is such a bonus: once you bring this to your team's attention (or your own), they will start noticing things they had never seen (but had always been there!). Just last week I was on someone's brand new website. It was gorgeous, but there was no click-to-call. Meaning, they listed the number, but it didn't do anything if you pressed it. No!!!! That was bad five years ago. No it's just unacceptable. Here's a more positive example. |
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A couple of months ago, we were at the Post House Inn (FABULOUS) in Mount Pleasant, outside of Charleston. We just stopped in for something to drink, and sat at the bar. From the second I walked in, I could tell that they had thought through every detail - the napkins, the coasters, the decor, the menus, the uniforms, etc. |
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But then, I looked up and saw this cute little ticking stripe curtain…… |
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I know you already know what is behind that curtain, but the fact they thought through it made me SO HAPPY. |
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The bar itself is a part of the beautiful dining room. and the room is just not a TV kind of place. |
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But as our (incredibly hospitable and helpful) bartender agreed, it is the kind of place where they might show The Masters, or The Derby, or a huge national event, etc. It is a hotel restaurant/bar and they are thinking about what their guests want. Both when the TV is on, and when it's not. Well done, Post House Inn! And here's the thing about addressing seemingly tiny, unimportant moments: your customers do not expect you to think about, or even notice, that level of detail. Thus, it is an even bigger surprise and delight. Remember the quote from two weeks ago? |
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“We believe that the smallest things are what create the magic.” |
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Here's another simple, small thing from the bar. LOOK at this lampshade. Yes, all of the lampshades were different and just darling. Would I expect that in your powder room in your home? Yes. On a bar? No. |
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The client/customer feels that you care - that you see her - that you have thought about what she is feeling and doing. At some level, they feel that this attention to detail is a glimpse into what it would be like to continue the relationship - that you know how to both see and solve problems. She thinks you would be someone she would like to do business with. She begins to trust you. You've started the emotional connection. Remember that you don't have to create over-the-top moments or solve every experience to create the magic - start small.
Fix a pain point. |
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here's to strategy, simplicity, & style |
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