The Butt Ugly Weblog

Happy customer checking in!

Thanks to the recommendation of a friend, I found these awesome recycling bags that will now replace a rather worn out plastic bag as my main receptable for paper and cardboard. The upgrade in the kitchen feels is immediate. Though these were expensive, they seem very, very durable so I think I'll get a good 20 years or something out of them. And at least they are far more pleasant to watch.

However, I did not just receive a great product. I got this wonderful handwritten card and some extra sweets with my order. This is what we at work call a Magic Moment - the feeling that you have suddenly made a connection, or found an unexpected source of joy, or realized that you have made a better purchase than you intended. They're those moments that make you go and recommend a service to a friend; or that make you go back and make a new order; or even just make you browse the catalogue - and recommend a product to a friend.

Those Magic Moments are however difficult to achieve. If you always add something extra to every order, it's a) bad for your margins and b) it becomes an expected thing as opposed to something new and wonderful. People get bored easily when things are repeated. (Every magician knows this - you must vary your performance. Doing three "pick a card, lose a card, find a card" -tricks in a row is just boring, no matter how skillful.)

But you don't need to feed people with a constant stream of magic moments. All you need is one, every now and then, so that people remember that moment when they were truly delighted or surprised and associate it with your service.