Have you ever bought products or services because you had excellent customer service or you had an exceptionally memorable experience?  With so many great choices of products to choose from these days, how do you decide? What factors influence your decision from being prospective customer to an actual buying customer?

This past week—the day after finishing my first 50 Mile ultramarathon, Jon (my fiancé) and I spent a few days in wine Country (Napa Valley and Sonoma CA).    Though I had been there before and enjoyed it immensely (who wouldn’t in beautiful wine country), this time was even more spectacular.

So I started to reflect why this trip was so MEMORABLE.  I realized that it was not just the amazing wines that we had, but it was the overall unique EXPERIENCE at each winery.    It was almost like going to Disney World—each theme ride is a special event itself.

We met some of the kindest people who were “experience makers” and really made a difference in providing a memorable event.   Though some wines were better than the others, it was their service that stood out and influenced our decision to buy some of the wines.

(If you are a wine enthusiast and you want to learn more detail about the wines and wineries we visited, then you will also want to read this review written by my fiancé, Jon Brodsky, who is an avid wine enthusiast. Read this wine review!

I would like to share with you just a few of these experiences that were so impactful for us.   If you already have an established business or just getting your business off the ground, I hope these examples are helpful reminders why outstanding service is so important for sustained business success.

Not Only Will Your Customers Want More Of You, They Will Tell Their Friends About You, And They Will Come Back For More!

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Caldwell Winery… Intimate Dinner At Your Best Friend’s Home

Prior to our trip, we mapped out the wineries that we made a point to visit.  Caldwell winery was our first stop… and most memorable.  It was 10:30 AM on a Monday when we arrived.  John Caldwell, owner), Joy Caldwell, his wife, and Marbue Marke, wine maker, personally greeted us  and took us on a private tour of his 20,000 sq ft. winery.  He then brought us to his tasting room.  The ambiance was very warm, inviting, and intimate, as there was just one other couple joining us.

We sat by candlelight around a large stone table.  Joy had personally visited a local market and bought an assortment of cheese, olives, crackers, and Prosciutto for us to enjoy with the wine tasting.   John was very entertaining and personable, and very giving of his time.  As he poured each selection, we shared stories and he graciously explained the background of each wine.  The wine was spectacular, but for me it was the Experience that I will remember and tell all my friends about it.   We became a customer and will keep coming back for more!

Costello Di Amorosa… Romance in Italy with exceptional hospitality

In contrast to the small and intimate experience at the Caldwell Vineyard, The Castello di Amorosa offered a completely different experience, and still very impactful from a customer’s point of View.

We toured time through authentic 12th century Tuscan Castle.     The castle building itself was spectacular and deserves some mention.   The architect and builder, Dario Sattui, spent decades researching and studying Medieval castles throughout Europe before embarking in this project in 1993.

The 121,000 sq. foot  Castello included 107 unique rooms,8,000tons offhand-squared stones, 8 levels, 900 feet of caves, a completely hand painted  Great Hall, a drawbridge, moat, dungeon, torture chamber, chapel, and the most impressive wine barrel rooms in the US constructed with ancient brick Roman cross Vaulted ceilings.

While the Castle was majestic and the views overlooking Napa Valley were breathtaking, it was our tour guide, Alaini, that brought the Castle to life and created an extraordinary experience for all of us.  She was fun, genuine, vibrant, and incredibly knowledgeable and thorough as she guided us through the tour to the final destination of tasting room.

Though we had a large group this time, Alaini was very hospitable and made each one of us feel like special guests in her home.   She had great Energy and kept us ENGAGED throughout our 2 hour tour and tasting!

As for the wines themselves they were good, but not particularly special.  However, we LIKED her so much that we ended up buying a case!    With all the amazing wines to choose from, why did we buy the Castello di Amerosa wines? It was because she created and exceptional EXPERIENCE for us!

While I just brought up two very memorable experiences, each company we visited offered a unique style and experience.    Though the quality of the wine was a huge factor in influencing our buying decision, if we had to choose between two comparable wines, it was the overall experience that WON.

In an increasingly super competitive environment, successful businesses today cannot solely rely on products and services; they MUST create memorable events for their customers and engage with each one of them in a personal manner. The first step is to build trust and authentic relationships.

This all seems so obvious and easy, right? In reality most companies fail to incorporate these basic strategies in their business model.    While the ultimate goal is to grow your business and increase your profits, you cannot afford to overlook the VALUE of delivering authentic experiences for your customers.

If you will consistently build a practice on these principles, you will emerge as the leader and dominate your competition.

I would love to hear from you.  Please comment below and share with the community an Extraordinary Experience that you either received or that you delivered for your customer that made an IMPACT.

I thank you for taking your time to read my post today sharing with us your story by commenting below.

To Creating Great Experiences,

Laura DeMeo