Priceless

Whether their complaints are about customer-proof packaging, a never-ending voice mail loop, or a purchase that doesn't live up to its claims, customers are consistently disappointed in their interactions with companies. And while experts say that the creation of "customer experiences" is the new requirement for success, few companies have managed to deliver. Now, veteran experience consultants Diana LaSalle and Terry A. Britton take businesses from concept to practice, offering a tactical guide to creating value-adding experiences around any product or service-whether the offering is candles or computers, catering services or consulting advice. The authors argue that most managers remain stuck in a "features and benefits" mentality that zeroes in on what a product does. That focus needs to shift, they say, to what a product or service offers and how it affects customers' lives. LaSalle and Britton provide a hands-on model for understanding the relationship between value and experience, and then show how companies can leverage that knowledge to transform ordinary products and services into experiences that customers consider extraordinary-even priceless. Drawing from extensive research and the stories of experience pioneers, the authors introduce new systems-the "Experience Engagement Process" and the "Experience Event Matrix"-businesses can use to: - Evaluate the entire consumption experience through the customers' eyes - Better understand what various customer groups value and why - Identify areas where new dimensions of value can be added to an offering - Eliminate customer sacrifice and increase rewards at every stage of the process - Align products, service, and environment to deliver a complete value experience - Translate experience creation into bottom-line profits Lively, practical, and entertaining, Priceless helps managers, marketers, and strategists recognize exactly what customers want and how to deliver it. We'll never look at what we sell-or buy-the same way again. Diana LaSalle and Terry A. Britton are founding partners of True North Strategies, a Savannah-based experience consulting firm.