Simple really, people have feelings.
Customers, employees, and pets, all have feelings.
We care about feelings
The customer experience and employee experience are determined in the most part, by how you made that person feel.
Same too for pets. When you go on holiday and need to find someone to care for your Dog, you are looking for a place where you think your Dog will be happy.
Will feel cared for; will have a nice environment.
I know not all Kennels deliver on this experience, but I know many do.
They are the ones run by people who really care.
Luxury Dog hotels even exist. Some people put such a high value on feelings that they pay extra for their Dog to stay in a room with a bed and a TV.
It makes them feel better and they believe their Dog will be super happy!
Because we care about feelings.
In fact, people buy how you make them feel.
People don't buy 'what' you do, they buy how you make them feel
I was in the supermarket the other day looking at washing detergents.
Since I had my baby I have been really vigilant in buying non-biological, super sensitive 'don't upset my baby' detergent.
She's a bit older now. She's also developed an awful case of travel sickness.
At Christmas we drove to a good friends house for a get together.
Halfway there, my poor daughter was incredibly sick. I reached to the back seat with a hand full of wipes. Trying to clean up what I could, while catching the rest in my hands.
(I now always carry a tupperware in the car, for anyone concerned)
We arrived, slightly traumatised, after a quick change stop, holding a bag full of sick covered clothes. My friend duly took said clothes and put them in the wash.
When they were done, she passed them back to me saying "they now smell like a dream".
They did.
I had forgotten how lovely it is to smell the fresh scented washing. I'd been using sensitive stuff for so long, I'd forgotten.
And bonus, the freshly washed clothes in the delicious detergent didn't bother my daughter's skin at all.
So when I was in the aisle at the supermarket, I hesitated. I didn't go for the plain 'sensitive' detergent, I went for one that smelt great too.
I based my decision on how it makes me feel to smell lovely clean washing.
My decision was triggered by that experience.
Now my washing smells amazing.
It might seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget about how customers and employees feel (and also how we would like them to feel) when we are busy in the day to day running of business.
When in fact, we should be prioritising how they feel.
Anyone who has put together a communications plan will know that you have a section called:
"Think, Feel, Say, Do" (or similar model)
You take your desired outcome and ask: what do you want people to think, feel, say and do as a result of the communication?
You create a plan based on that.
No matter what you tell people though, it's the way something makes you feel that drives behaviour.
That, and beliefs.
Feelings and beliefs drive behaviour
Feelings and beliefs are a result of the experiences we have had.
That includes customer and employee experience.
So how do we harness that in the world of business?
I say, we do it with authenticity and feeling.
Because how we connect with people, and how we make them feel matters.
And it makes a difference to the people (and pets) that matter to you.
A version of this post originally appeared on Leadingconversations.co.uk
You can follow Lucy on Facebook and twitter @leadingconv