Routine vs. WOW!
Unless you’re Caitlyn Jenner or Barack Obama, is this the way your day full of experiences generally goes?
Routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, WOW! Routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, WOW! Routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, WOW! Routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine, routine … Good night!
Three WOW’s and 35 routine’s. I’m not saying you lead a boring life.
I’m just saying that each day you probably endure heaps of ‘average’ experiences. Average products, average services, average interactions. Largely forgettable.
And then you have an experience that is refreshingly jolting because it’s special … it has some WOW! factor. The product works much better than you expected. The service is fantastic. The interaction is captivating, inspiring, delightful.
But what was it, exactly, about those WOW experiences? Probably — as you swam through your sea of routine — they took you a bit by surprise. And I’m sure they made you feel great … about both the product/service/interaction and yourself.
Now, put yourself in your donor’s shoes as he navigates through his routine day (or as Roger describes it with regard to fundraising communications — his ‘sea of sameness’), which gets interrupted by your fundraising message (or other communication).
Did you deliver a WOW moment? Did you try to? Has it ever occurred to you that, these days, you must?
Tom
P.S. I’m inspired by this report from the Apple Store sent by Mike Cowart of Allegiant Direct:
“I’ve literally just completed my 11:15 appointment at the Genius Bar of our local Apple Store.
“I’m a PC user and had to take my wife’s Mac Pro for a checkup. I’m the black sheep of our family, as my sons and daughter-in-laws are all Apple product users and extremely loyal. They keep trying to evangelize me into their “tribe”! I guess my nonprofit blood is resisting the change.
“What does this graph tell you?
“I absolutely love the “Apple Store experience” and can feel the buzz when I walk through the door. There is 1:1 engagement in every direction. I was warmly welcomed to the Genius Bar by Laura. I asked, “How long have you worked for Apple?” She said, “I’ve been here two years and absolutely love it!”. Note that I did not ask her if she liked her job.
“Unfortunately, Laura gave me bad news on our Mac Pro, but I went away feeling like I had won the lottery and had to invest $310.00 for repair! Apple simply provides a WOW experience!
“Recent stats from Tom Ahern indicate that 70% of first time donors to nonprofit organizations do NOT make a second gift! Don’t you wish Laura was on your staff to extend the warm welcome to your new donors?”
Mike Cowart
mike@allegiantdirect.com
2 responses to “Routine vs. WOW!”
Behavioral Science Q & A
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I love “wow” ideas. Here’s a few I’ve heard about recently:
-Send a box of chocolates to a donor who has you in their will with a “just thinking of you” note.
-When a person requests more information, don’t just send it, follow up by phone two weeks later by phone to make sure they received it and ask if you can answer any questions.
-When donors contact you to give you a new address, send them a “congrats on your new home” card. If they’re loyal enough to want you to keep track of them, they deserve it.
-When trying to write a story that will move people, step back and ask yourself, “what is the TRUEST thing I can say,” That’s a surefire way to “wow”!
Why am I not surprised that four wonderful wow ideas come from none other than Kathy Swayze? Consider these headed to the creative lab for percolation and adaptation. 🙂