You’re going to love this!! The other day, I was on a Zoom call with one of my customers. I’m about to work on a virtual culture design project with them, and we were doing “Discovery.” Basically, I was interviewing her to get her perspective on the culture she wants to create at her organization.

She was full of great insights, and this one, especially, sticks in my mind.

She said, “I tell my team, consider what emoji this person (customer, co-worker, prospect) would give you based on this particular interaction?” Brilliant, right?

What if you went into each interaction striving for a Smiley emoji? Or a heart emoji? Even better, 5 heart emojis? It’s simple really. It’s all about letting the person in front of you (or on the other end of the phone, Zoom, or an email) know that they matter.

Here are 10 ideas for letting your customers, your team, and your prospects know that they matter.

1. Lead with Empathy: Instead of dismissing someone’s concerns, telling them that they are wrong, or even blaming them, put yourself in their shoes. “It is frustrating, isn’t it?” is far more empathetic than “Well, if you had done it this way, you wouldn’t be in this position.” Or, “I know it must be so hard to be away from your family,” is more empathetic than “well, we all have to think positive!”
2. Own the Entire Experience: Go above and beyond to get someone the answer they need, rather than passing them off to someone else and forgetting about it.
3. Pay Attention: Put down the paperwork and the devices, look the person right in the eyes (socially-distanced, of course) and really listen to what they have to say.
4. Remember and Refer: While you’re paying attention, make notes (mental or physical) about what the person says and refer back to them the next time you interact? For instance, “how was your Zoom call with your daughter?”
5. Celebrate Successes & Milestones: Rolling out the red carpet is all about creating extraordinary experiences. Pay attention to the milestones in the lives of your team members and customers and find ways to celebrate.
6. Send Fan Mail: Take a few moments each week to send hand-written letters to the people in your life (both professional and personal) and let them know about the special qualities they have that you admire.
7. Make It Easy: Reimagine your processes to make it easy for customers to do business with you. Ask yourselves, “Are we rolling out the red carpet or the red tape?
8. Value Diversity: Pay attention to your own personal biases and those of your team members, and be sure that EVERYONE is getting the red carpet treatment.
9. Make Their Day: My friend Marnie starts her morning by asking that, “today, in every way, may I strive to make someone’s day!” Start your day by asking the question, “who’s day can I make today?” If you can make this a morning ritual, the answers will come to you and you’ll find all kinds of ways to let the people you interact with happier than they were 10 seconds ago.
10. Give an Unexpected Upgrade: Speaking of making their day, everyone loves an upgrade! Give them MORE than they expect.

What about you? Comment below and let me know your ideas for letting people know they matter and eliciting nothing but heart emojis! Your comments make my day!

Donna Cutting is the author of 501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers.