Bird or Lime?

Remember the very first time you got on one of these scooters?? Go ahead, admit it!

A bit reluctant, excited, nervous that turned very quickly to…..WEEEEE-HAAAAAWW! Oh yeah baby!! The wind, the rush, the inferior people around you who are still…..walking…

Now think about that moment. I bet you remember exactly where, when, who you were with, what you were wearing and more. Why is that? It’s because it was an emotional experience. If you haven’t gotten on one of those yet, think of another such an experience. Your first Uber ride (you probably remember the type of car that magically appeared after clicking a button on your phone), a surprise party (the first few people you saw as your heart was racing realizing it’s all for you), your first kiss (well...hmmmm...yes), perhaps even something sad such as a call you received letting you know someone close passed or where were you when for example the twin towers got hit. We remember the details of these emotional events because they were emotional. This is how we operate. Without getting into the science of it, when we go through an emotional experience we remember!

If you can take your customer, your partner, your prospect through an emotional experience you will simply make them remember you. So far, makes sense. Nothing revolutionary.

Here is the real challenge though. Assuming you are successful in taking your customer through an emotional experience. Imagine if you could take this customer back to that experience. Back to feeling those same feelings he or she felt when experiencing it for the first time. This is Emotional Relevance at its best ladies and gentlemen. This will enhance the sense of trust and loyalty by your customer so they will be that much more inclined to choose you again and again and again over your competition. I know, it is hard, it requires discipline, consistency, but doesn’t everything? If we want to make an impact that is.

Companies like Uber, Bird, Nike and others have started realizing it and act accordingly.

Bird realized the emotional mechanism of reflecting back on such an emotional experience. I call it Emotional Instillment. The ongoing emotional notion of “scratching” that same nerve to make you go through the same experience and remember that first time. Enhancing that brand bond and increasing the level of trust.

On the top is an email I received from Bird a few weeks back and I am sure many of you received something similar. By giving me some relevant data (remember the relevance piece of Emotional Relevance?), a sense of accomplishment while telling me how much CO2 I saved this year and adding cute pictures of me back on that WEEEEE-HAAAAAWW experience they literally got me smiling to myself while opening and reading this email.

So whether you are a doctor, a lawyer, a therapist, a CRM customer success manager, make sure you are not only taking your customer through an emotional experience but you get them constantly back to it. This way, when having the option between you and the competition they will always, instinctively, select you.

Now, next time I go to downtown somewhere and there is in front of me a BIRD scooter and a LIME scooter….which one you think I will get on...?!