I believe one of the most powerful things you can do to impact others is to recommend a book that could transform their personal or professional lives. In this week’s episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I’m recommending my FAVORITE books that I read in 2023. Whether you’re looking to improve your customer experience or employee experience, or you’re looking for a practical guide to achieve your fullest potential, I’ve got you covered with some of the most impactful books to take with you into 2024.

Show Notes:

2:56 - Two Weeks Notice by Amy Porterfield (listen to her episode)

4:25 - Experiential Billionaire by Bridget Hilton and Joe Huff (listen to their episode)

7:00 - All It Takes Is A Goal by Jon Acuff

9:20 - Never Lose An Employee Again by Joey Coleman (listen to his episode)

11:15 - Thanks For Coming In Today by Charles Ryan Minton (listen to his episode)

13:45 - Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

15:55 - The Time To Win by Jay Baer (listen to his episode)

17:20 - Good Awkward by Henna Pryor (listen to her episode)

19:53 -

This week’s episode of the Creating Superfans podcast is all about GIFTING! Strategic generosity is one of the most powerful ways to create a “wow” experience for a customer and elevate the emotional closeness of a relationship. It’s not just about the gift (literal or figurative) or its cost; it’s about the thought, effort, and time that went into it. At least it is when it’s done correctly. I share my best practices and common mistakes to keep in mind as you search for the right gift, as well as some specific product ideas.

Don’t forget to download my new gifting guide here for over 75 gift ideas! I hope you find it helpful as you look for the perfect present to WOW your recipient and show them how much you care about them.

Show Notes

3:26 - If it has your logo on it, it's an AD, not a gift
5:10 - One of Brittany's favorite gifts she received as a seven-year-old
6:10 - Another one of Brittany's favorite gifts she got as a teenager
7:35 - A gift Brittany got a few weeks ago from a client that absolutely WOWed her
11:33 - Some great ways to honor your employees, courtesy of John Ruhlin
12:12 - Gifting does NOT have to be expensive. Sentimentality and thought can double the value of a gift.
13:20 - Don't ignore 90% of the calendar
14:35 - Avoid these common gifting mistakes
16:10 - Unique gifts
17:38 - One of Brittany's favorite gifts, a guest book
18:28 - Closing gift idea for realtors
19:13 - More personalized gift ideas
22:05 - A cool way to make an impact with a special card
22:46 - A gift card, but elevated
24:45 - Love on the ones they love
25:57 - Highlight the recipient's hobbies
27:57 - Make sure the gift you're giving aligns with the relationship you have with them
28:27 - The most bizarre gift that Brittany received from a client that made her scratch her head
29:46 - All of the gifting websites that offer subscriptions to save you money
31:49 - Brittany's snarky gift that she made on Zazzle to get back at a coworker
32:57 - Check out Brittany's interview with David Wachs, CEO of Handwrytten

Download the Gifting Guide here.

My favorite CX, or customer experience, measurement tool is the simplest one: Did you just make the thing better or worse for the customer? Or, was it a forgettable, nothing-burger of an interaction? It really all boils down to those three choices. In Creating Superfans, I call these outcomes Net Positive, Net Neutral, and Net Negative.

The overwhelming majority of interactions we all experience in life are Net Neutral ones. Hundreds or even thousands of times each day, you have interactions: emails, texts, phone calls, in-person conversations… the list goes on. You process most of them so quickly, and so automatically, that you don’t think about them again after they end.

What if you could elevate those often-overlooked interactions into experiences? What if, all around you, there are countless opportunities to give your customers a little extra? A little extra jazz to take something from neutral to positive? From forgettable to I’ve-gotta-post-a-picture-of-that.

Guess what? You can! And this episode is all about ten of the countless ways you can do it. These simple interactions illustrate how you can intentionally elevate mundane moments into memorable ones.

Show Notes:

5:37 - #1: Your wifi network name and password
8:00 - #2: Your voicemail message
9:57 - #3: 404 page
12:19 - #4: Email unsubscribe message
14:52 - #5: The hours and service details on your site or storefront
17:04 - #6: Sandwich board in front of your store
18:27 - #7: Notes or terms on your invoices
20:05 - #8: “Hello” and “Goodbye” moments
22:45 - #9: Overlooked physical space
24:49 - #10: OOO or vacation auto-responder message

On today's episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I'm thrilled to be joined by a fellow woman in CX, Stacy Sherman. Stacy is an award-winning keynote speaker, author, advisor, and podcaster focused on Doing Customer Experiences Right as a brand differentiator.

Stacy has held multiple leadership roles at major companies over the past 25 years, such as Liveops, Verizon, Wilton Brands, AT&T, and Schindler Elevator. She brings real-life examples and customer service experience best practices from being in the trenches as a strategist and practitioner. You'll hear us talk about the impact that a job title can have on an employee's performance, how you can teach empathy to your team, and the importance of recognizing and celebrating your customers' and your employee's birthdays.

Show Notes
3:03 - What does "doing CX right" look like to Stacy?
4:42 - Brittany shares the CX lesson she learned while riding the elevator at LEGOLAND
7:42 - Stacy shares about her experiences leading the CX department at Schindler Elevator Corporation
8:09 - How Stacy improved the experience for elevator mechanics, both internally and externally
11:05 - How physical and psychological safety contribute to overall CX
12:38 -Elevator safety tips from Stacy Sherman
15:26 - Why meaningful job titles can improve EX and CX, and Stacy's tips for implementing a new job title
17:23 - A common mistake that Stacy has observed when it comes to EX and CX
18:21 - What would Stacy say to someone who's just starting a Voice of Customer program?
20:51 - The key traits Stacy would look for when hiring front-line employees
23:37 - How has Stacy taught empathy to her teams in her prior roles?
27:09 - Some ways that brands have acknowledged Stacy's birthday in the past
29:13 - Brittany cautions companies to remember the power of personalization when it comes to celebrating your employees' birthdays
30:16 - Stacy shares a story about a brand that completely blew her away with a surprise & delight moment

Visit Stacy's Website

What if I told you the way that you think about recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, and retaining your team members could be wrong?

My guest on this week's episode of the Creating Superfans podcast is my good friend, Joey Coleman. Joey is a two-time Wall Street Journal bestseller and the author of one of my favorite books, Never Lose An Employee Again. He's an award-winning speaker who's worked with organizations ranging from small start-ups to global brands, such as Whirpool, Volkswagen Australia, and Zappos. In today's episode, we talk about how your employees are a much bigger piece of the puzzle than you may have realized and the things that you need to do to get them to advocate on your behalf.

Show Notes:

4:15 - The funny reaction Joey is getting when CEOs read his new book, "Never Lose An Employee Again."

5:09 - Why Covid has been the biggest influence on the employee experience throughout history

6:21 - Why the workforce will eventually decline

8:30 - Joey believes that employees are not driven by paychecks

10:33 - Employees should have good stories to share about their experiences working for the company. How do you ensure that your team members are advocates of the company?

12:29 - What percentage of your new hires are coming from internal referrals?

14:03 - Joey's interesting experience as an intern that taught him a lot about workplace culture

20:01 - Many employers fail to understand the goals and aspirations of their employees, both professionally and personally.

22:21 - How corporations have set the wrong precedent for work/life balance

26:25 - The difference in workplace culture pre-IPO and post-IPO

27:52 - How Japan does business differently and how it relates to employee loyalty

32:52 - How immigration relates to employee experience, the future of our workforce,

37:33 - Brittany shares one of her most recent newsletters about how to talk to your employees about challenging world events, especially in light of the Israel-Hamas War.

40:02 - 63% of customers want to do business with a company that says what the organization stands for. For employees, it goes up to 69%

44:28 - Find "Never Lose An Employee Again" on Amazon or anywhere else you buy your books

Visit Joey's Website

Like me, Lauren Teague is obsessed with fandom and how it can act as a business lever for customer and employee experience.

Lauren was the original social media lead for the PGA Tour where she pioneered brand-to-fan engagement on Twitter and set the standard for all social media platforms today. Since then, she has spent 15+ years optimizing fan engagement in sports, B2B, B2C, healthcare, higher ed, and several more industries.

She's also the founder of FANWAGN, an online marketplace for sports and college fans to buy and resell beloved apparel. I had the pleasure of joining her on her Brand to Fan Show, and now I'm excited to share my interview with her. Lauren and I chat about the evolution of fan engagement on social media, how to harness your customer's voice through your content, and the many ways AI can multiply your social assets and help you run your business more efficiently.

Show Notes:
3:48 - Lauren shares her origin story
5:21 - How Lauren got started doing social media for the PGA Tour
6:07 - How Lauren developed her brand-to-fan philosophy
8:14 - Brands have many audiences that they reach simultaneously
11:00 - What Lauren learned when she did affinity mapping for a school district
14:57 - Why it's so important to remember that everyone on your team is in the experience department
18:32 - Lauren shares further details about her first few weeks on the job with the PGA Tour
20:12 - What Twitter was like back in 2008 when Lauren first started (without a smart phone!)
21:55 - Other ways that Lauren enhanced the fan experience for PGA Tours on social media
23:30 - What projects is Lauren most proud of from the PGA?
25:00 - The social media command center that Lauren advocated for to bring fresh content for fans
27:49 - What is Lauren's content multiplication system?
30:45 - Lauren's course all about repurposing content at scale
31:53 - How AI lets Lauren interact more with her customers
33:05 - What is FANWAGN and what inspired Lauren to create it?
37:03 - How FANWAGN creates a community through storytelling
38:40 - What is Lauren a SUPERFAN of?

LaurenTeague.com
FANWAGN

Scott Harris is a Founder, CEO, and author. He’s the CEO of Experience.com, a company he founded in 2015 to redefine the way the world thinks about Customer Experience, Employee Experience, and the all-important interplay between the two.

Scott and I had the pleasure of working at Experience.com together, and he might just be the only person that’s more passionate about experience than me. In today’s episode, we discuss the ever-changing rules for success in the digital landscape and the importance of understanding the new algorithms that shape consumer behavior. After listening to our conversation, you’ll be better prepared to win online and transform your organization into an experience-led enterprise.

Show Notes

3:28 - Scott tells us about Experience.com

5:50 - Hows silos are ruining businesses today

9:40 - Covid impacted the way people buy and refer businesses

11:35 - Brittany shares her theory for why our buying processes have changed, and it’s not what you think it is!

15:03 - Scott cites the blue dot on Maps as an example of how algorithms are shaping our behaviors

17:18 - How technology drives our behavior

18:06 - How Google has turned our habits into math and how companies can use the strategy to win online

19:16 - Scott breaks down the three components that Google looks for when serving you with search options

20:28 - Too many businesses are misallocating their time because they don’t realize the rules have changed

22:11 - You are what the Internet says you are

23:01 - How a loan officer might try to optimize their online presence

26:55 - The conclusion a prospect might jump to if your online presence isn’t updated or accurate

27:07 - If you have your location and product information on your profiles, what’s the last step that you need to beat out your competitors?

30:05 - A recent AI interaction that blew Scott away

35:09 - Why an experience management platform is so crucial for your organization

37:08 - “You put data in motion to power your business. If you’re not doing that, you’re behind.”

Did you know that awkwardness is your greatest asset for professional and personal growth? My guest today is here to tell us all about it. She's my dear friend, Henna Pryor. Henna is an author, sought-after workplace performance expert, executive coach, and award-winning, two-time TEDx speaker. Following two decades in the corporate world, a few career pivots, and a wildly successful leap to entrepreneurship, she shares her work from the stage and screen to expand on her belief that the key to most people's success is embracing their bumpy edges.

Henna and I discuss the importance of owning your uniqueness and how leaning into awkwardness can actually strengthen your relationships.

Show Notes

6:37 - Henna's origin story that led to her book, "Good Awkward."
7:51 - Henna's awkward story from 5th grade that still lives with her today
8:50 - Leaning into the awkward and embracing it changes everything
9:17 - How does Henna define 'awkward'
11:36 - The important difference between awkwardness and ineptitude
12:29 - The pratfall effect
12:57 - How the pratfall effect is similar to the service recovery paradox
14:13 - The key skill is to learn how to 'repair'
16:08 - People are almost untrained to deal with awkward situations now because we hide behind technology
18:18 - How technology has hindered certain interactions
20:08 - How Henna slowly embraced her uniqueness at her corporate job and boosted her performance
21:48 - The avoidance of awkwardness increases awkwardness
23:13 - Awkward versus vulnerable
27:58 - The one thing that Henna fought for when writing her book
29:40 - Henna shares some of her awkward experiences that ended up getting cut from the book
31:21 - The biggest takeaway Henna has from her research
32:15 - Henna's embarrassing moment from a recent TV interview promoting her new book

Get your copy of Good Awkward