Forget Friendly Service—Clients Today Demand an Experience

We call the wine bar we frequent “our country club” for good reason.

For $60/month, my fiancé and our friend get two bottles of tantalizing red (past killer selections include Predator Old Vine Zin and Ferrari-Carano Cabernet) in our wine locker, plus various discounts on tastings and food.

We love the wine and the food, but more than anything else, we come back for the experience the bar serves up each week. We visit for the stories, the thoughtful special events, the fun e-mail communications they send out each week. Beyond knowing just our names, each staff member know when we’re busy at work, if we have trips planned, and more details about our lives. We rarely order wine off the menu because we’d rather taste the Tinto Figueroa Tempranillo Rich (the manager) just got in for Friday Tapas Night. This all wraps up into an extraordinary customer experience that we have yet to see at other wine bars in the area. We don’t just get a night out, we have an experience.

What does this mean for the small business owner? Whatever industry you’re in, you need go beyond good and become great, extraordinary. You need to offer the unique, the truly special experience.

By the way: More than 50% of country club/Wine Encounter clients are repeat customers, thanks to their unique services. According to Ashley Hassler, Director of Marketing and Events, “it’s the relationships and friendships that are constantly being made that makes people come back.”

How can you raise the bar for your business and create a total experience for your customers? Think about what will get your clients to want to write a post like this about your business. And please share other examples of businesses you think are providing an extraordinary experience.

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