The distance between “meh” and great is surprisingly short.
Sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on why, but there’s no mistaking it. You know when you’ve had great service and you know when you’re “just another customer.” You know when a product is well-made with care and precision and you know when you’re dealing with a hunk of junk. You can tell when someone’s really listening and you can tell when they’re just trying to get rid of you.
Interestingly, the care it takes to invoke the former feeling in each case verses the latter feeling is actually pretty small.
Just a little more consistency in service. Just a few more friendly smiles. Just a few seconds more eye-contact. Just a couple minutes more attention.
There is only one thing more surprising than how relatively little effort it takes to go from “meh” to great: how few people and organizations actually do it.
Especially when you consider what’s at stake if you don’t. Namely your ability to build trust and gain influence. Not to mention your very humanity.