Published on: June 2, 2014
by Kevin CoupeCarmine Gallo, the author and communications coach, has a piece on Forbes.com in which he suggests that the late author/poet/historian/civil rights activist Maya Angelou had a great quote that seems tailor-made for businesses seeking a differential advantage. I agree, and thought ti was worth passing along in this space…
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Wow.
(You can read his whole analysis here.
I think this is true not just of customers who patronize your store or buy your products. I also think it is true of the people who work for you, who serve as your face to the consuming public. In the end, maybe that's a supply chain that more business leaders ought to pay attention to … a supply chain of good feelings that say to the employee that this is a good and supportive place to work, and say to the customer, you should feel both good and smart about shopping here.
Not to say that price and convenience and selection are not important. They are. But maybe in some ways they are slightly less important - and therefore less of a differentiator - in an environment that stresses the feeling one gets when walks inside a store or chooses a specific product. Maybe that how you make your customers and employees feel can be an enormous differential advantage…
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maybe how you make your customers and employees feel can be the ultimate Eye-Opener.
- KC's View: