Day 2: It’s the Small Things That Count

A few months ago, my girlfriend walked in the door with an armful of bags and a huge smile, exclaiming, “I’ve got something that you’re going to love!”

I turned around, anticipation building. I had no idea that I should have been expecting something.

“Close your eyes!”

Sitting there blindly, I was even more lost about what I should be expecting…

“Ta daa!”

I opened my eyes and she was holding stuffed versions of Buzz and Woody from Toy Story.  My smile grew even wider.  Being a huge animation nerd (I do see every Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks and Blue Sky movie in theaters) I was ecstatic to have a few more characters around the house, alongside other Disney characters and a few Ninja Turtles (pizza, anyone?)

It was a simple gesture, but I really felt cared for, thought of and dare I say… loved.

How Do You Know That You Are Loved?

When you’re in a relationship with someone, what really makes you feel cared for?  On a day to day basis, you know that that person loves you but think about it – what really gives you the warm fuzzies and makes you glow a little bit (gents, I know that you get the warm fuzzies too, don’t try to hide it).

Go on, close your eyes and think about it.  When was the last time you really felt cared for?

I bet it wasn’t a monumental, earth-shifting moment.  I bet it was small.  My best guess was that it was intimate, thoughtful and heartfelt. It might have been an inside joke that only you two were a part of. Maybe it was a text message just because someone was thinking of you.  Maybe someone brought you a small gift.

In a perfect world,we would never lose sight of exactly how much love is in our lives.  When it is there every day, our eyes adjust and we don’t see it as clearly as we once did.  These little reminders help us to remember that we are loved.

Online Business is Online Dating

Online dating is perhaps one of the best metaphors for online business that I have run across.  Right now, your potential customers are just like the people you would be interested in on a dating site. It’s your job to be interesting enough, funny enough, smart enough, and (since design matters) pretty enough to woo them and land a date (translation: a reader becomes a customer).

What genuinely makes a difference in online dating (did I mention I met the wonderful woman above online?) is how interested you are.  How much do you care about the person on the other end of the conversation you’re having?

And just like any relationship, it’s the small things that count.

Can you mention an inside joke from your first conversation? Instant connection.

Do you remember something small but important about them? Instant emotional impact.

When I interviewed Fabeku for The Customer Love Machine, we spent a long time talking about customer service.  We concluded that most people are so focused on getting new visitors and new customers, that they don’t spend time loving the ones they do have.

You can use the power of small actions to great effect.  Writing a hand written note to a customer who has purchased a product that you’re about to mail takes less than five minutes, but the impact is enormous.  Taking extra care that your product, digital or physical, looks beautiful creates an experience worth remembering.

So take a few moments, find one small thing you can do for a customer or potential customers. Take some time to do the small things that count.

Task: What small, 5-minute task can you do that will deliver a personalized, thoughtful touch to your customers? Do it.