BUSINESS OWNER BRIEFINGS

September 30, 2010

DIFFERENTIATION

The WOW Paper

A worksheet that will help you WOW your clients and stand out in the market

Being the same as everyone else sucks. Your target market cant find you and wont remember you, and your sales will be lower than they need to be. This paper will start you on the way to identifying ways to WOW wight away.

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THE WOW PAPER

8-F ACTOR E XPERIENCE M ODEL

There are eight facets of experience that are along four axes. The diagram below shows how they affect and surround your offering.

E MOTIONS
Emotions are among the most powerful of the experiences. This is the Wow! factor. Example positive emotions include: Fun, Funny, Funky, Intense, Love, Adoration, Appreciation, Valued, Affirmed, Connected, Safe, Unexpected, Entertaining. There are hundreds more, and each one can help connect

Emotions Richness Intrinsic Value

your client to you and your offering more effectively.

S ENSES
Engaging senses helps to brighten the richness of the experience. A store with soft music, a hint of fragrance, and pleasing artwork and lighting is very different than a store with loud music, strobe lights, and garish graffiti-covered walls. Both can be appropriate and engaging to specific audiences. Senses include: Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste.

Process

Offering

Personality

I NTRINSIC V ALUE
Intrinsic value is the perceived value of the offering itself. If you provide high-end services for a low-end price, the value

Environment Senses

Simplicity

may be great. Examples of intrinsic value include: Free, Extra value, Meets clients needs fully.

E NVIRONMENT
Environmental experiences include the use of space to engage the senses. Examples of environmental experiences include:

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THE WOW PAPER

Space, Temperature, Dcor, Feng Shui, Feel of the space, Openness, Layout/organization, Flow.

S IMPLICITY
Google is a perfect example of the power of simplicity. Because they didnt clutter their home page with everything Yahoo! Has, they stood out because of faster page loads and rapid browsing. Simplicity can also mean the ease with which you get what you want from a company. Examples of simplicity in practice include: Making it easy to buy, Limiting offerings to just those things people really need, Clear steps in a process, Adding in extra services that help the client start using your offering faster.

P ERSONALITY
Some companies differentiate based on the personalities/attitudes of their employees. Some companies that come to mind include Southwest Airlines, Chik-fil-A, and Nordstrom. All of which are highly successful businesses. Creating a culture that supports the positive attitudes is not easy, but it does pay dividends. Literally. Examples of personality experiences include: Genuine caring for your needs, Walking you to another department and engaging you in conversation, Helping you with something other than what the store offers - such as a recommendation, Treating you like a special guest or friend.

R ICHNESS
Richness is not necessarily the opposite of Simplicity, but it can be. Richness is a factor of the completeness and depth of your offering and everything surrounding the interaction with the client. Examples of rich experience include: Disney theme parks, Wowing clients senses, Providing a total solution for clients, Providing more than is necessary in a way that is appreciated.

P ROCESS
Process experiences are tied to your companies flow of business. Oftentimes, there are speed bumps for transitions, causing a momentary disconnectedness with your offering. Designing process experiences will help smooth out those bumps and help your client feel better about your offering. Examples of process experiences include: Remembered preferences, Walking a client to the checkout, Providing immediate follow-up to any requests or issues, Transitioning between project phases gracefully.

M ULTIPLE M EDIA
Each of the experience facets can be displayed through multiple communication channels, such as visual images, spoken words, written words, staff countenance, and how everything is put together. Consider how each facet translates into each communication channel.

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THE WOW PAPER

E XAMPLES
B UILD -A-B EAR W ORKSHOP
Build-A-Bear Workshop is a tremendous place for kids. They get to build their own stuffed animal, give it a heart, voice, and name. B-A-B Workshop engages all senses, have people who enjoy doing what they do, have a standardized process thats clearly displayed within a lively, fun environment. The price of a new friend? About $25. A tremendous value as well.

D ISNEY
Disney is widely regarded as one of the best experiential companies in the world. Walt and Roy took the theme park concept from a seedy establishment to a world-renowned household name. They focus on staff development and creating repeatable, enjoyable experiences for their guests.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Experiential Star Map

Disney Experiential Star Map

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THE WOW PAPER

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