Last month, we blogged about what NOT to do when offering new products or services.

This month, we focus on how to deliver a remarkable customer experience. Because delighting customers not only keeps them coming back but also sharing their delight with others (can you say word-of-mouth marketing?).

I believe in learning from the companies that are doing it best. Like Netflix — which has figured out how to provide an amazing customer experience by streaming a seemingly limitless number of shows.

During Covid lockdown, Netflix kept us sane.  Stuck inside, we talked with friends about who was watching what. We shared on social media. Soon other streaming companies jumped on board. But Netflix was the first.

So I found it interesting to learn that Netflix is now partnering with Walmart (another company that seems to know exactly how to build sales) selling products related to recent streaming hits like Squid Game. They’ve created an area on Walmart.com for an online store called Netflix Hub.

A stretch you say? Hardly. It’s brilliant.

Netflix’s strategy is to develop new revenue streams to support their core subscription business. Promoting hit-show-related merchandise in a new marketplace allows them, as their EVP, Jeff Evans, says: “to connect with the Netflix fan base and potentially attract new customers.”

It’s probably safe to say that any small business would be over-the-moon happy with growth like Netflix. In Q2 2021, the company generated over $7.3 billion in revenue. Their growth curve since 2013 is one that makes investors smile.

What can your small business do?

Why not apply Netflix’s strategy to your small business marketing efforts?  What can you learn from them? What do they do that you don’t?

I found the answer I was looking for in this article in Media Labs.  And it’s pretty basic for a brilliant idea — “Netflix knows how to cater [to] their customers’ needs by giving them a remarkable experience. This is the real success story of Netflix..”

Creating a remarkable experience isn’t something that only big companies can do. Small businesses can absolutely do it. Maybe even easier. We don’t need to run it by layers of departments for approval. We simply need to make it part of our company culture.

Let’s see how that works.

I’ve identified 5 things that make for a remarkable client experience: ‘

1. Offer Choices
   Make it easy for customers to get what they want. Netflix lets customers watch shows they want — when they want them — on a variety of devices.
2. Offer Personalization
   In this HubSpot blog post, Kaleigh Moore writes about 8 Brands Creating Memorable Customer Experiences That Go Above and Beyond.  One company called Function Of Beauty lets customers create their own personal hair care products. They offer an online quiz to determine your hair type as well as colors and fragrances you like. You get a product created just for you. Talk about feeling special!
3. Surprise Surprise!
   Surprises are the impetus behind mystery box subscriptions. There are boxes for almost any interest. They’re great for gifts when you’ve run out of clever ideas. You can find themed boxes for just about anyone on your shopping list. For example,…treat your mixologist brother-in-law to the Shaker & Spoon Cocktail Club. Or gift your sister the crafter with Home Made Luxe so she can create homemade goodies themed to each month (for these and 28 other cool subscriptions, head over to Buzz Feed.)
4. Outstanding Customer Care
   Marshall Field of the eponymous, now defunct, Chicago-based retail store said “Give the lady what she wants”. Fields was famous for their return policy of “no questions asked”. It takes “the customer is always right” to a whole new level.  Ritz-Carlton has one of the best customer care policies around. Employees are encouraged to “give the client what he needs”. And each employee is given up to $2,000 to make that happen. See #11 in this Qualtrics post titled: 11 examples of companies delivering great customer service. But you’re a small business owner. The above examples reference big companies. How does that apply to you? Great question! Which leads us to the 5th way to offer a remarkable customer experience……
5. Make the customer feel special. Be like Ace.
   Ace Hardware has been around since 1924. Some of you may remember their jingle (we had jingles before the internet) — Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man. Ace is a franchise company with over 5,000 stores around the world. Most of these stores are independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. So even though the parent company is huge, each store functions as a small business.I want to talk about my local Ace store, Gordon’s Ace Hardware. This is in their profile: “As the helpful hardware folks in your community, we promise that, “helping you is the most important thing we have to do today.” And helping customers with really excellent customer service is exactly what they do.I stopped in there last week to have a key made. As I walked in the door, a salesperson asked if I needed help finding something, which I did because the key carving station had been moved. Got my key made in a snap. Stood in line for a few minutes chatting with a woman behind me who told me you could find ANYTHING at this store and how helpful the staff was.

   At least three other people walked in while I was waiting to pay. One customer after another. Each was warmly greeted. I was surprised to see this kind of traffic since Amazon probably carries 90% of the merchandise Ace does. And probably cheaper.
   
   At a time when retail vacancies are high —  the vacancy rate in Chicago’s Loop is 20% — how is this small local shop thriving? We’ve had empty storefronts in my neighborhood since I moved here three years ago. And I know my neighborhood is not unique.
   
   What is unique is the way my local Ace Hardware makes customers feel.  Like we count. Like our business is valued. Like they’re happy to see us.

   I’ve never been in an Ace store where I didn’t get amazing service, so I know this focus on customer care is part of their corporate culture.

   After meeting my share of bored salespeople who obviously don’t what to be there, it’s awfully nice to be warmly greeted by kind people who really want to help you find what you need.

   And that just doesn’t happen when you shop at Amazon. It’s efficient and the prices are good. But it’s impersonal. And creating a remarkable customer experience involves human interaction.

   So what can you do to create remarkable experiences for your small business customers?  Have any ideas we haven’t covered? Feel free to comment below. We’d love to hear them.

   On a related topic, check out our post on how to nail customer engagement.