What a plane ride, prosecco and personal branding have in common.
"I think a wine tasting is in order. Which wine would you like to try first?"
This was unlike any wine tasting I'd been to before.
We were huddled behind a curtain, 34,000 feet in the air.
The plane was somewhere over North Dakota as Jeff expertly popped the corks on two bottles of sparking wine and poured each into their respective plastic cup.
I took a sip, both with distinct flavors, one with a little more "bite" than the other.
"Can you tell which one I served you previously?"
I hesitated before pointing to the cup on the right.
"You're correct!"
I sat back down, a glass of bubbly in hand.
I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.
I was blown away by the service I'd been receiving on this flight.
It was one thing after another.
Earlier, I'd gotten up to use the bathroom.
When I re-emerged, I asked Jeff how the flight crew had been doing during covid and told him that I hadn't flown in a long time.
This was one of my first flights in almost two years.
"Hang on." He ruffled through a metal drawer before pulling out something I couldn't quite see, but I noticed it shimmer.
"I'd like to present you with your wings."
I beamed as I affixed the gold pin to my sweater.
Another flight attendant walked towards us.
"Let's see if I can impress you with my language skills."
Before I knew what he was talking about, Jeff broke out into fluent Japanese (I presume, anyhow) and he and the other flight attendant had a full blown conversation while I watched.
I have no idea what was said, but I was definitely impressed.
Back in my seat, I was finishing up my sparking wine, when Jeff reappeared and kneeled down next to me.
"Ms. Khalil, I've just checked your next flight to Anchorage. You'll have enough of a layover in Seattle to grab dinner at the airport. I'd love to give you some dining recommendations."
I believe my mouth was on the floor at this point. But don't worry, Jeff would probably mop up my drool.
"Jeff, come to Alaska with us," I blurted out.
How was I getting more care and consideration on this flight than I'd ever had on a first date?
Can I put Jeff in my pocket?!
"I'd love to but I have a Dungeons and Dragons game I can't miss."
Getting off the plane, I gave Jeff my number and told him that if he wanted to grab a drink with a friendly face next time he was in Detroit, to give me a call.
I'll let you know if I hear back.
Have you ever experienced service so good that it left you raving?
And equally as important, are you thinking about the customer journey and every single touchpoint and how you can provide "gold star" service to your clients?
As consultants running high-touch businesses, the ultimate goal is to become highly referable.
You know, where people can't help but talk about you, because you are that good.
Highly referable consultants have something else in common - a strong personal brand.
If you want to learn more about how you can stand out and build a brand that has people raving, join me for the next More Clients Roundtable next Tuesday, November 9th.
We're going to have a live and interactive discussion over Zoom about how to use personal branding to stand apart from the sea of consultants and creatives that do work similar to your own.
Registration is free, but space is limited.
Laura Khalil helps businesses work only with clients they love and double their revenue. See how easy it can be to double your revenue in the next five minutes.
She has consulted for some of the world’s most recognizable brands on marketing including GE, Intel and Twitter. She is host the Top 125 Apple Podcast, Brave by Design.
