Jerry Lee Lewis (aka, The Killer) has been a wild country music singer performing for over sixty years! His performances are electrifying with acrobatic boogie-woogie piano playing and wall-to-wall non-stop passion. Having attended his concerts more than once, I have watched him amaze huge audiences with his talent, versatility and willingness to be experimental. He is 80 and still performing!
In the 1989 movie, Great Balls of Fire, with Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee, he is told by a show producer that he would have to perform on stage before the great Chuck Berry. Lewis balked and insisted that he close the show, not Berry. He finally relented and delivered a crowd-pleasing, on-your-feet performance. At the end of his rendition of “Whole Lot of Shaking,” he set the grand piano on fire and continued to play it. Walking off the stage with a cocky air as his audience screamed for more, he turned to Chuck Berry and calmly said, “Follow that, killer!” The look on Berry’s face was one of bewilderment.
Customers today sometimes receive “pianos-on-fire” experiences. Over 114 million people watched the Super bowl half-time show with Katy Perry on top of a giant glass lion while she sang her hit “Hear Me Roar;” then jetted around the arena with fireworks in the background. Over 150 million people have been awed by a Circa du Soleil performance. Over 40 million people went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom last year alone! And subconsciously these customers are looking at your customer experience and thinking, “Follow that, killer!”
Winning organizations deliver service experiences that get people talking, not just walking! Every organization cares about customer retention. But, growth comes from customer advocates—devoted fans that not only return with their funds, but come back with their friends. People do not brag about good service; they boast about unique, captivating service experiences. And with all the competitors out there thinking up new ways to set their “pianos on fire,” the time has come to top your good customer experiences with sprinkles!
Photo Credit: Karen Blaha