The book Fanocracy – ‘Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans’ says…
“The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communication at a time when people are hungry for true human connection.
In a digital world where our lives are increasingly cluttered and superficial, we’re missing something tremendously powerful: genuine human connection.”
He was writing about a trend and cultural shift in what customers desire and how they want to be treated. A global pandemic and lock downs proved how much we really do value human connection and how much we take it for granted. By now we’ve mainly forgotten how much we missed hanging out with friends and pined to spend time with the whole family and felt nostalgic about all the good times – parties, fun weekends, celebrations, holidays. ALL of this is because human beings crave meaningful connection with other human beings.
It applies in business as it applies in personal life. Last time I checked most of our clients are human beings. They walk, talk, think and feel like humans. Fake connection doesn’t cut it. Superficial connection isn’t enough. We want to connect at a deeper level. A Facebook friend and a real friend are as different as chalk and cheese. Physical isn’t the same as digital. Physical is in a different league. It’s why zoom is not the same as in person. It’s why fans want to be at live football games, in the stands, surrounded by other screaming fans. It’s why hundreds of thousands of music fans want to be at live gigs like Glastonbury surrounded by other humans and to fully experience the music with all their senses. This is what we crave.
So what does all this mean for a smart optical entrepreneur?
In short, the relationships we build with our customers are more important than the products and services we sell to them. Bond with your customers by taking an interest in the things they love. This is the hallmark of a world-class customer experience. It is focused on the individual human receiving it, their interests, their desires, their preferences and making them feel special. It’s not that hard to do. We all do it in our personal life, yet it is so rare in business. Make it part of your culture and your team and clients will love it.
In marketing it’s the same thing. In Jones And Co. Life, my practice’s newsletter we talk about eyewear, but we mainly talk about LIFE! The weather, holidays, trips, hobbies, interests, our city, our staff, and that kind of stuff. What I’m going for is human connection. By talking about shared interests and shared experiences you CONNECT.
Format matters too. A physical newsletter connects with a magnitude that an email or social media post will never attain. As do physical gifts, letters and handwritten notes and cards. Reach out and connect with your clients!
If you’re ready to scale up your practice, break through self-imposed limits, and experience a new level of growth and success and freedom, you need to join us at OSA LIVE our biggest event of the year, for independent practice owners, happening in Manchester on 11th and 12th September.
Get all the info: https://www.osalive23.com/