Say you and I went to a Billy Joel concert. We lingered over his music remembering some good old times. When Piano Man was playing we both looked at each other with a look that hides some secrets from the past only the two of us knew about. That evening we shared yet another mutual emotional experience.
When we experience something emotional together, a special bond is created. When soldiers go through training together, battle together, there is a special bond. When a team plays together and goes through a whole season together and experiences wins, losses, hard practice together there is a special bond being created.
Speaking about Emotional Experiences and Emotional Anchoring as part of Emotional Relevance, I am trying to highlight in many ways the difficulty in creating these bonds with your customers, colleagues, prospects. When you haven’t experienced that emotional experience with them….yet. When you still feel like two people who are looking to possibly create a working relationship. A corporate working relationship with clear guidelines, rules and barriers.
But what if you were able to break through that barrier? What if you created that bond? And through Emotional Relevance that is exactly what happens.
Say you and I go meet with a few friends after that Billy Joel concert. Spontaneous get together. One of your friends sent a text and you decided to join. When you get to the bar they are already there. 4 of them. Chatting. They see us come in and inquire about our whereabouts. We look at each other and since “New York State of Mind” is still playing in our heads we smile and start telling them about that amazing experience we just went through.
All of a sudden someone else joins the group and one of the 4 who were already there introduces him to the rest of us:”hey guys, this is Keith, my buddy from work”. Keith orders beer while we go back to sharing our excitement when Billy’s grand piano starts turning around on the stage. Keith overhears us, stops us and asks:”were you in the Billy Joel concert”? We scream….”YESSSS”. He pauses for a quick second….puts his beer down and yells…..:”so was I!!!!”.
The three of us start jumping up and down hugging each other as if we just won the lottery or as if we at least known each other for 20 years.
You see, we all shared an emotional experience that brought us together. Caused us to FEEL as if we are alike. As if we have fond feelings towards each other. Even though we just met.
Take your customer, your internal customer, your colleague, your vendor through an emotional experience. Create that bond. Make that deep connection that will break quickly through that expected corporate barrier. No need to take them to a Billy Joel concert as the effect will be the same. And if they don't become a customer, they just might become a friend. Win-win.
“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.”
―Ian Fleming,Casino Royale
In the real life story it was not a Billy Joel concert but a James Bond movie. Casino Royale. His name was not Keith and we did not meet at a bar after but rather sat on a bench eating pizza somewhere in downtown Detroit. Back then he was a prospect of mine who ended up not buying anything from me. By the end of that evening 7 years ago we became good friends. Even though we just met. And we have remained good friends since.
That night back in Detroit we created a bond. An emotional Bond.