We hear it all the time: "Let's identify the low-hanging fruit and pick that first." In other words, let's figure out which customer experience problems are simple to solve, and deal with them first. The problem? Although a few customer experience problems are simple to solve, the vast majority aren't. That's because most customer experience problems are the result of complex issues that affect the entire enterprise. It's far more effective to develop comprehensive solutions to your customer experience problems, even if doing so takes more time.
- Roy Barnes and Bob Kelleher, Customer Experience for Dummies
A little bit of anxiety won't kill you. You don't always have to be carefree. Worrying may heighten your awareness of a situation and point out the small problems before they become huge ones.
Beware the deadly pronoun: he, she, they, especially the infamous they and the power-gilded we. Pronouns can send you into a quagmire of misunderstanding. Every single day, it seems, I say to someone, "Too many pronouns." During a negotiation, force your counterpart to use specific nouns and proper names. This preventive measure avoids a great deal of miscommunication.
Even if you need very specific information... a good strategy is to start with a few open-ended questions and become more focused as you go. This gives you the opportunity to develop a rapport with the other person while at the same time getting some valuable background data. It just takes a little patience, which is essential anyway if you want to get honest, reliable information.
At the most basic level, effective marketing is good storytelling. It involves using a variety of means to communicate a cohesive message about your company. Part of that message relates to the products and services you offer, but the rest has to do with the experience, or even the benefit a consumer gets from doing business with you.