Last week after giving a speech at a casino hotel in Las Vegas, I sat at the bar and settled in to listen to a band play old music from the Rat Pack.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, a guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Are you Steve Shapiro, the guy who spoke at our event this morning?”
I confirmed that I was. He said, “I loved your presentation.” I thanked him for the kind words.
Quite often this is where the conversation ends. It is a nice ego boost, but doesn’t really mean much.
But in this case, this is where the conversation started.
He sat down and for the next hour replayed nearly every minute of my speech. Every example. Every point I made. He then proceeded to tell me how the speech impacted him and how he was going to change his business based on what I said. He also asked some great probing questions which allowed us to go even deeper and helped me identify some potential additions to my presentation.
No matter what business you are in, there is a lesson in this.
Every day I receive surveys from companies wanting to know my opinion. How did I enjoy my flight? Was the customer service agent helpful? Did the product operate as expected?
The answers to these questions often don’t get to the true value. Numbers only get at the surface. If I received a 9 out of 10 for my speech, it provides very little useful information.
Sometimes stories are the best way to learn a customer’s true experience, and the value they received.
What are you doing to capture stories that your customers have about your products or services?
That evening, while listening to Frank Sinatra tunes, I was given the gift of stories.