Product + Service = EXPERIENCE

Yes, you must have a good product! No argument there! And a good product by itself is not enough either. Today, a superb customer service is expected along with a great product. This my friends is what I call Experience and this ladies and gentlemen, is what we should all strive for.

When I went to school in NY for my B.S in Business/Marketing I was working as a tour guide. Leading a loaded bus from Manhattan through the finger lakes region into Niagara Falls, then to Toronto, the Thousand Islands and back to NYC and then to the nation’s capital for an additional 2 days tour of all the amazing monuments and memorials (Not too long ago, in Paris, pouring rain stuck in traffic I used those tour guide skills with a few of you which was one of those…..you just had to be there…).

There were about 4 other companies in town offering the same tour and let me tell you- the product was GREAT!! Modular tour, you could choose to get on just the Niagara part or only the D.C option or the whole week experience. Inexpensive, fun and joyful. The customer service for the most part was also pretty good. A babysitting tour guide to be there every step of the way, a courteous bus driver, decent hotels and more.

We used to have a fierce non-written competition between us tour guides as to who knows more details about the different sites we would visit. One would say the CN tower is 523 meters high and the other would look it up and find in a different book that it is actually 525 meters high. A tour guide claims the fine for sailing down the Niagara Falls is $10,000 and another will correct him saying it is actually $12,500. This became our pride but more so we really believed that this excessive knowledge was the difference for the travelers. My office started getting calls from potential travelers asking to go on a trip but ONLY with “that tour guide called Alon”. Naturally I was flattered and when the first one approached me confessing to the fact they demanded to get on the bus with me I asked in a very nonchalant way if those who referred them told them about my amazing knowledge of the details. They looked at each other oddly, turned to me and said:” WHAT? NO!! It is because of the dancing on the bus, the jokes, the caring and the way you treat your travelers – they had an amazing Experience”.

After that, if anyone would ask any detail about any monument I would still know everything there is to know about it but would know that they are there for the Experience. They are there for the ride!

Last week I received a note through Facebook from someone who was on one of those buses some 15 years ago and told me he was looking at some pictures and it brought tears to his eyes remembering how much fun they had on that trip.

So whether you are selling clothes, fish, software, hardware or just services make sure you have a great product and an amazing customer service yet bundle it together with an unbelievable experience because this is what they want and this is how they will remember you. I guarantee you that YOUR experience will be different as well.

I just joined Cornerstone Information Systems and I cannot wait to take some new passengers on this bus ride with me.

And on a personal note - it really is all about the relationship, so do not be afraid to make it so.

Just my opinion…