When you think of the word, sincere, what do you think?
Do you think of...
- Genuine
- Open
- Not deceitful
- Real
- Honest
- Unpretentious
During Roman times, wealthy people might commission an artisan, a sculptor to carve a statue out of stone. Roman artisans were good with not only stone but also wax. Why wax? Imagine chiseling a masterpiece. As you are chiseling, you hit a little too hard with a hammer and the chisel slips and creates a small undesired mark. Wax was used to concel the misguided chisel's marks. Wax worked well until the weather or time revealed the flaw.
Some artisans became highly sought after because they refused to use wax. These artisans differentiated themselves by representing themselves as "sine cera" artisans. The Latin term sine cera means "without wax." These artisans guaranteed the real thing because they worked without wax, they were sincere.
In America, we are busy living our lives according to the stories we tell ourselves. Often, these stories are ego-based. For example, we often don't want to feel left behind. We may want to keep up with the Jones next door. They have a nice new car and I may feel compelled to get one myself. That's the ego speaking. However, if I am driving in my nice car and I come upon a car accident and I feel an insatiable desire to help someone else, my soul is speaking.
That is the opportunity. The soul wants to come out. We yearn for someone to really engage us. We want to be touched. And we want to touch other people's lives.
When our ego speaks and it speaks often. It says things like... "To be a success, I must do this... or do that." How often do we hear people saying, "I pump gas and I am really proud of it." You don't hear that. Even if a person is proud of pumping gas they don't say anything because they may worry someone else will say, "That's crazy. How can you love pumping gas?"
We live our stories and act them out. If we believe in our hearts we should be proud of something, we share it. If not, we hold it inside.
Great customer experiences come from people who really know deep down inside the difference they are making in the lives of those they serve and touch. That custodian in a medical setting... Are they just a custodian? What would it feel like if a medical facility weren't properly cleaned? Would you take your child to a dirty medical facility? Probably not.
It's about a soul connection. It's difficult if not impossible to feel that being a custodian is important if I believe it is not. But when we change our perspective to a soul-based one and think about the confidence we give to someone who is bringing their loved one into a medical facility for treatment. Do they notice the place is clean? Not really. They expect the medical facility to be clean. What if it weren't clean? What would the customer/patient feel? Would they be apprehensive? Would they keep walking in or turn around and leave? What if it were an emergency? Would their anxiety be increased?
That's the SineCera opportunity. It is incredibly important to help the team member realize that what they do is important so that they can help the soul-based needs of the customer.
Key thought... What kind of treatment is best for the soul? The other day I went to a restaurant. The food was good, the service was better-than-normal. What does that mean? I left the average tip. I would come back. However, I am not really loyal. I haven't eaten there in over a year and my office is just down the street. What could have been improved?
- Don't interrupt a business lunch. Ever.
- Don't ask obvious questions while your customer is busy talking. Fill the soda automatically.
- Don't repeatedly ask if I am done signing the check. Pick it up when we leave.
I didn't feel cared about. I felt harassed a bit, but not enough to complain. And when the waitress asked me (while I was chewing) how everything was, I said, "fine."
FYI - The word, fine, is an acronym:
- Feelings
- Inside
- Not
- Expressed
I didn't feel like she really cared. Sure, she was attentive, but I didn't feel cared about. And I didn't feel like she was being authentic. I felt like it was an act. I think she cared about me until she got the check. Once she did, she didn't refill anything. We never saw her again. I am not a Raving Fan.
Every customer experience is about emotional engagement. Do I feel emotionally engaged? What is emotional engagement? That's what SineCera is all about... Emotional engagement.
To be emotionally engaged, I don't want robotic, automatic, emotionless banter. I want eye contact, a nice smile, and a sincere greeting that says, "Welcome."
Sinecera really means being completely authentic with our fellow man. That's what they want
And yet when we are, we are typically so incredulous that we need another experience to validate that what just happened really did.
As we go through our lives, we create stories about what we do. Those stories cause us to act in a particular way. If I believe I am "just a custodian" I will obviously look down at my work and do it with low energy and enthusiasm. How does it feel when a customer walks by me when I believe I am "just a custodian?"
Our view of The Ultimate Customer Experience is to help people really connect with one another. The reality is that too many of us really don't know what we are really doing. We believe we are hair stylists, accountants, doctors, automobile service technicians, etc.
The Sinecera Customer Experience is about connecting on an emotional basis with others that they don't expect and leaves them wanting it again.
Now go Maximize Possibility!
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Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
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