Does Your Business Belong to the Awesome Party Squad?

The Awesome Party Squad is not a band, or a gang, or a silly hardcore crew or something like that…it is a social order, if you will, that works for the common good by making everything around it more radical. Having existed since the dawn of time and space, Squad members have been responsible in some way for nearly every great thing that has ever happened anywhere, ever. -UrbanDictionary.com “Dude, I just met up with this new website guy and he was a total bro. His studio space blew my mind, it was completely chill.” “Yeah, no, I know, right? The dude who deals with my site is really good people, you have no idea.” Do your clients and customers look forward to dealing with your business? If asked, would they say it's a literal pleasure to work with you? If you and your staff aren't radiating enjoyment and enthusiasm, you're probably not as busy- or as wealthy- as you’d like to be. You know you're really on the right track when you wake up in the morning thinking, “I'm running my own business! And I get to go to work today.” After all, Americans spend about $700 billion a year on entertainment, purely because of the way it makes us feel; it serves no practical purpose, but we obviously value it highly. Are you doing everything you could in your business to deliver that kind of value? You still have to educate your customers on why they need you, and deliver the outcomes you promise; that's a given. To stand out, you also need to give them high-quality emotional and sensory experience. Why do people spend $300 on tickets to see Madonna or Lady Gaga perform? Simply because it makes them feel alive, energized and sexy. Of course we want those we serve to experience us as highly responsible, to believe that we're reliable and know how to act appropriately. But does that mean we can’t use humor and show that we enjoy our contact with them? We can convey friendliness and lightheartedness anywhere we work, even if we're dealing with serious matters. Human warmth and caring go a long way, and don't have to involve cracking jokes or kidding around; when your customers experience their contact with you as sociable, inviting and comfortable- much like the atmosphere of a good party- they'll want to return to you for services and tell their friends about how much they appreciate you. Legendary companies like Nordstrom and Southwest Airlines enroll their staff in the Awesome Party Squad as soon as they’re hired. Employees are encouraged to be warm and real with customers and are given permission to handle difficult situations with independent judgment. Professions that involve sensitivity to private matters like dealing with people's money or personal lives require that we earn clients’ trust in order to do business with them. The way we can let people get to know us isn't necessarily by talking about our own personal lives or circumstances, but by demonstrating some of our own personality and spontaneity. There's nothing wrong with a dentist’s office sending a birthday card, or an insurance agent remembering that a client’s daughter plays high school basketball, but this is ordinary. We form extraordinary relationships when we greet clients with eye contact; when we pause enough to really listen to how they are; when we share a spontaneous, genuine moment of laughter because of a slip of the tongue or unintended pun. Watch for opportunities this week to make your employees and customers feel they’re being treated exceptionally. I promise you’ll find some if you look, and how do you suppose you’ll feel then? Dude. It’s gonna be awesome.