I Split My Pants – A Lesson in Customer Experience

a closeup photo of ripped jeans

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Hey, it’s Charlie Gaudet here, and I want to share a story about a personal customer experience…

Yes, it’s true… I split my pants.

I tore them wide open and sent my 8-year-old boy into 15 minutes of uncontrollable, gut-wrenching laughter…

And in a moment, you’ll see how my embarrassing incident can actually help you…

You see, entrepreneurs turn to me to help them grow their businesses – and as such, I’m apparently earning a feather in my cap as some sort of “guru.”

Regardless of what I can do for entrepreneurs, have you heard this phrase?

“You can lead a horse water,
but you can’t make him drink.”

Look, I take no shame in talking about the companies I’ve grown by 2x, 5x, and more…

But no matter how good the marketing strategy is…

Or how well the system is implemented…

At the end of the day, nothing is more important for your business than delivering an exceptional customer experience.

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience
and work back toward the technology 

not the other way around.”

– Steve Jobs

As an example:

You can go out to eat and have the most amazing meal, but if the service is terrible, what are the chances you’ll go back?

Minimal.

Now, what does this have to do with me splitting my pants?

Not only did the summer breeze in my crotch (and my son’s relentless point to ensure everyone took notice) cause embarrassment…

…Ruining a pair of $200 jeans was also a disappointment.

So, I went back to Nordstrom with my ego in my hands and explained the situation…

I told them it was my fault…

I told them I purchased the jeans over a year ago…

…and that all I wanted to do was buy a new pair.

What happened next still shocks me…

You see, rather than handing me a new pair of jeans, the sales rep (aka my “personal stylist” – the real name for Nordstrom salespeople) told me:

“When you buy from us, we really want you to love your products and we always do our best to take care of our customers. I don’t think simply lifting your leg to get into your car was a good enough reason to cause your pants to split. It sounds more like a manufacturer’s defect. So rather than charge you for a new pair of jeans, we’ll exchange them at no cost and hem them for free because we value our relationship with you, and want you to know that we’ve always got your back.”

AMAZING, Right?

From that point on, I vowed to remain loyal to Nordstrom… even though the closest store is an hour from my home.

And it wasn’t until I started telling others about my experience that I discovered Nordstrom’s return policy:

No return policy.

In fact, on their website it says:

“We hope to build trust with our customers and create a relationship with them for the long term. Standing behind what we sell is a big part of that. We think many customers choose to shop with us because they know if their purchase isn’t right, we’ll work to fix it.”

In other words, they value and appreciate your business – and want you to feel special as a customer.

Look, you live in a world where there is more competition than ever before… and more alternatives to your product/service popping up every single day.

You can’t afford to deliver a mediocre product/service…

You also can’t afford to deliver a mediocre customer experience.

When you leave your customers saying “Wow!” – watch them pay you back with referrals, repeat business, and loyalty.

So, what more can you do today to create a better experience for your customers?

In your corner,

Charlie

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