It’s tempting to stick with the sales techniques that have worked for us in the past, but going that extra mile beguiles customers, sparking new interest in what we have to offer. When customers have positive experiences with a business and the people in it, they’ll say, “Wow! I’ve got to tell my friends to check this out!” This “Wow Factor” piques your customers’ interest. Intrigue customers with the unique little details that make your business a draw. Without it, you may find yourself outpaced by competitors with improved versions of your services.

Take Captain Denny Flanagan of United Airlines.  He’s living proof that flying doesn’t have to be an ordeal. The subject of a recent Wall Street Journal article, Captain Flanagan has done his bit to overcome the trials and tribulations of air travel by going out of his way to make his flights as pleasant and stress-free as possible for his passengers.  This veteran pilot calls the parents of unaccompanied child passengers with reassuring updates. He has flight attendants raffle off discount coupons and unopened bottles of wine. He writes notes to first-class passengers on the back of his business cards, addressing them by name and thanking them for their business. When delays arise, Captain Flanagan informs his passengers ASAP, giving them realistic ETAs, helping them retrieve and recheck luggage, even seeking out fast-food joints or snack shops to feed the hungry travelers. Passengers have rewarded him with sky-high praise, both in person and in glowing letters to United Airlines.  Next time I fly, I’d like to find out what United flight Captain Flanagan is piloting in hopes that I can fly the friendly skies with him!

Captain Flanagan’s great example can work for those of us in sales, too. For instance, as a change of pace from the big theme parks in our area, our family once went to a small, local amusement park. We were not amused; this place had a “woe factor,” not a “Wow Factor.”  The rides and games looked great, but every time we tried one, we had to deal with a bored, surly employee who treated us like pests instead of paying customers. Anyone can have a bad day, but every employee on the same day?  No wonder there were few customers in the park!  Why should customers spend money at a place where you’re greeted with sullenness instead of enthusiasm, when there are so many fun parks where the employees make customers feel welcome and happy to be there spending their hard-earned money?

On the other hand, my cousins visited West Palm Beach, Florida last summer and returned home raving about Sloan’s Ice Cream, a chain of retro ice cream palaces that wowed one and all with their delicious treats, toys, and playful decor.  Of all the attractions at Sloan’s, the ones that got almost as much attention as the frozen treats were the rest rooms. No fooling -- the rest rooms in this ice cream wonderland are actually attractions in and of themselves. You see, once you step inside one of Sloan’s festive rest rooms and lock the door, an electric current shoots through the special glass in the windows facing the dining area, turning them from transparent into solid, opaque white. This unique privacy-protection feature has intrigued customers to the point where it’s become a tourist attraction in and of itself.  Now there’s the “Wow Factor” in action!

In their different ways, Captain Flanagan and the proprietors of Sloan’s have turned mundane, taken-for-granted things into must-sees, sending customer interest sky-high. We need more than fancy new whistles and bells to draw a crowd, though. The prevailing attitude of a business and the people who work there is crucial. We must keep an eye out for what makes our customers’ eyes light up, what makes them say “Wow!”  Pay attention and discover what will intrigue your customers enough to make them want to come to you, and only you, for their needs, going on to recommend you to their friends and associates as well. When their friends check it out, chances are they’ll be happy and your business will soar as sky-high as a United Airlines flight helmed by Captain Denny Flanagan.

Read the original Wall Street Journal article about Captain Flanagan:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118826634834410559.html)