TLP279: How to Attract Talent and Absolutely Win Lifelong Fans - a podcast by Jan Rutherford and Jim Vaselopulos, experts on leadership development

With every interaction, businesses win or lose share.  Each touchpoint – be it with customers, distributors, or even employees – presents an opportunity to either build brand loyalty or erode it.  Listen in as  Jon Picoult shares how to create experiences that don’t just satisfy, but impress.   Jon is the author of “From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans.” He has worked with some of the world’s foremost brands, personally advising CEOs and other members of the C-Suite. His  insights have been featured by dozens of media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Economist, Inc., NBC News and Forbes.com.   Key Takeaways [3:25] Jon explains the difference between customer experience and customer service. They’re not synonymous! [7:10] Another term that gets confused with customer experience is user experience. Jon breaks down how this is different. [8:45] With that being said, you cannot deliver excellent customer service without employees who are engaged. This means you do have to invest in your people if you want to see the overall customer experience improve. [11:45] Jon has seen time and time again executives not valuing the importance of customer experience. He realized he needed to talk in “executive” language to really drive the point home that happy customers equal a higher valued business. [14:05] Here is why this particular supermarket is the perfect example of what a good customer experience looks like. [16:55] Businesses are not only in the business of shaping the customer’s experience. They are in the business of shaping the customer’s memory. [21:15] The onboarding experience is often messy, and that’s a bad thing because that’s one of the first experiences your employees are going to see. [27:45] It’s a job as a leader to make sure everyone in the organization understands their purpose and the reason why their jobs are critical and help the organization to run smoothly. Sitting down and just having a conversation about the importance of their impact goes a long way. [30:25] Humans are control freaks. We want to know where we’re going at all times. Jon explains how that affects the customer when they’re trying to do business with you. [33:15] You don’t have to change the experience, you just have to give the appearance of control for the user to feel at ease. [37:30] There are huge turnover rates happening in the workforce right now. Leaders are scrambling, but the same techniques used to build loyalty in customers can also be used with employees! [43:20] If you boil this process down, it’s all about making people feel good about the interaction they just had with you. [44:05] Listener challenge: Serve with distinction. Be accountable to your staff.   Quotable Quotes “When you have high turnover it causes a deterioration in the customer experience.” “The details because the details have the opportunity to shape people’s perspectives.” “To give people a perception of control, you’re setting expectations for them. The minute you set expectations for them, you conform their thoughts to the experience and they know what’s coming around the corner.” “When people see a boss or a manager who’s fighting for them, who’s in their corner, who’s helping them develop their career, those people will walk through walls for that person.”   Resources Mentioned Sponsored by: Pre-order Jon’s book,

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