I’ve spent decades studying what makes customers come back again and again. The answer isn’t just about providing good service—it’s about creating memorable experiences that forge emotional connections.
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing my longtime friend Steve Spangler, author of “The Engagement Effect: Cultivating Experiences That Ignite Connection, Build Trust, and Inspire Action.” Our conversation revealed powerful insights about engagement that can transform how you connect with both customers and employees.
The Power of Engagement
Steve shared a story from his childhood that perfectly illustrates what engagement truly means. As a 10-year-old son of a magician who ran a magic school, Steve found himself handcuffed by a news reporter in front of police officers—all part of his father’s plan to demonstrate how easily handcuffs could be picked.
When Steve effortlessly escaped from police-issue handcuffs, the officers were stunned. They became instantly engaged in the experience, realizing the implications for their work. As Steve put it, “When you emotionally and intellectually connect to an experience that has been created and you take that and move forward with an action, that’s the engagement effect.”
This is exactly what we should aim for in business—creating experiences that emotionally connect with people and inspire them to take action.
Leaders Are in the Experience Business
Whether you realize it or not, as a business leader, you’re in the experience business. You’re either creating positive experiences that engage your team and customers, or you’re creating negative ones that lead to disengagement.
Steve’s company maintained an impressive 11-year average employee retention rate. How? By treating employees much like he treated students in his classroom—guiding them without claiming to have all the answers.
His approach was simple yet powerful: “I don’t know, let’s try it.” This experimental mindset created a culture where employees weren’t afraid to suggest new ideas, leading to innovations that transformed his business.
Creating “Best Day Ever” Experiences
One of the most valuable concepts Steve shared was the “Best Day Ever” experience. As a teacher, he learned this lesson when a student’s father approached him after a particularly engaging science demonstration.
The father explained that for the first time ever, they didn’t have to ask their daughter, “What did you do in school today?” Instead, she couldn’t stop talking about the class, concluding with, “Daddy, today was the best day ever.”
The father told Steve, “You have my daughter’s undivided attention. Do something with it.” This powerful moment taught Steve that when you connect through shared experiences, you can create transformational moments for people.
What makes this story even more interesting is that when Steve later asked the student what her favorite part was, she mentioned an activity another teacher did after he left. This taught him another valuable lesson: creating exceptional experiences is a team effort.
As the principal wisely noted, “If it gets to the dinner table, you win.” When your customers or employees are so moved by their experience that they share it with others, you’ve created something truly special.
The Chewy.com Example
Steve shared a touching story about Chewy.com that demonstrates how businesses can create these meaningful connections:
- A customer called to cancel his pet food subscription after his dog died
- The Chewy representative asked him to share about his “best friend”
- After listening, they canceled the subscription, refunded his money, and suggested he donate his remaining dog food
- Two days later, Chewy sent flowers with a note expressing sympathy for his loss
This wasn’t just good customer service—it was a deeply human connection that acknowledged the customer’s grief. Years later, we’re still talking about this story. That’s the power of creating a “Best Day Ever” experience.
Engagement Is an Experiment
The most important takeaway from our conversation is that engagement is an experiment. There are no hard and fast rules. It’s not about forcing employees to work harder or meet metrics—it’s about creating experiences where people genuinely want to connect with you.
Think about your favorite teachers growing up. Some had great reputations, and their classes were the ones everyone wanted to get into. Businesses can achieve the same effect by creating experiences that make customers eager to engage with their products or services.
Don’t be afraid to fail, adjust, and try again. The most successful businesses are those willing to experiment with how they engage their customers and employees.
By focusing on creating “Best Day Ever” experiences, you can transform your business into one that people not only remember but actively want to tell others about. And in today’s competitive marketplace, that kind of emotional connection is priceless.
