A couple of weeks ago I was in Birmingham for a workshop. The day ended, and I my inner voice started to talk ‘food’. Everyone who knows me well gets where this is going: Thai-food. So, I asked Google for a recommendation and went started walking.
The place was different, and such was the menu; authentic, modern and intriguing. I selected a starter and a main course and waited patiently. As the first dish arrived I knew it: This place would be one to come back for…
And this made me think: What would it take to have this experience in business software as well? That within a couple of minutes you know: This is for me! This is something I value, something I trust – something I’d recommend to a friend.
It reminded me about the discussions we had during the day – encouraging customers to move from their on-premise solution to the cloud. Making that choice is not about whether or not the product is good or not good. Whether the service is secure. Whether the SLA is +99%. That’s a given; It needs to do what’s on the tin. No, this is about selling an experience, a feeling of trust, a journey without stress and disruptions, a feeling of being cared after. Something you want to become part of.
So, what if instead of communicating about our product/service and its ingredients i.e. the procedures, the number of days of work, and the restrictions, we start communicating about the thing our customers would come back for – the experience and how that will make them feel.