🎤 Join me TOMORROW (no cost) at an amazing customer experience summit with Amazon

Honored to be the keynote speaker for Amazon Web Services (AWS) for their big, boffo customer experience day virtual summit: The Human Touch in a Digital World

See you tomorrow, 1-3 ET.

📹 CX that lasts

Had a great chat about building customer experience that works year after year, with Anand Nigam, from XEBO.ai on his Experience Beyond show. (also, Spotify)

👄 Why Word of Mouth is More Important Than Ever

Really enjoyed my time on the Keller Williams Millionaire Real Estate Agent podcast, talking about word of mouth and how it's the ONLY marketing vehicle that's truly AI-proof. 

👆 Do You Have the Discipline to Pick ONE?

The most important word in business is NO.

It is much easier to agree to more than it is to have the discipline to stick to less.

This lesson first became clear to me in the early 2000's when my team and I did a lot of of high-level website strategy work. 

I vividly recall working on a content and UI plan for Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport website. 

I presided over a very large meeting where EVERY department insisted that info about THEIR corner of the airport ecosystem simply MUST be on the home page. 

I said then something I now say a lot on stage, and on podcasts:

If everything is important, nothing can be important

Perhaps people are more interested in parking and flight times than in the airport art gallery? Not that the splendid art gallery isn't important. It's just not the MOST important.

It's not just permissible to have a hierarchy of objectives and information, it's ideal. The clarity that a hierarchy necesitates improves ease of use and outcomes for all.

Take my refrigerator for example. I like this LG model. It's the third one I've owned (I move a lot). But every time I get ice, I laugh about its utter and complete lack of clarity.

Nowhere on this oft-viewed panel do they mention the actual brand name.

ThinQ I believe is the LG smart appliances app? 🤷‍♂️ I don't really know because my fridge doesn't need to be sentient. I know even less about "Smart Grid Wi-Fi" 🤷‍♂️. And I have ZERO idea about the very prominent Inverter Linear, with its own logo (but not a LG logo). 🤷‍♂️

Three major branding statements, all cobbled together. All duking it out - unsuccessfully - for my attention.

This is what happens when there is insufficient discipline around hierarchy.

If everything is important, nothing can be important!

I was in Orlando last week, presenting about word of mouth to a room of execs from NBCUniversal. Afterwards, an attendee asked me a good question:

"If we have more than one talk-worthy differentiator, should we emphasize all of them?"

NO. Because you end up being the LG refrigerator. 

If you have more than one thing you do noticeably well, you don't need to overtly tell people about all of them. Lean into one. Commit to that being the first priority, and be okay with a series of second and third priorities. 

Along those lines, here's a great exercise to improve your website.

Make a spreadsheet and list every page of your site. Column A is page name. Column B is URL. Column C is the most desirable action a viewer could/should take after consuming the content on that page. 

Click back?

Add to cart?

Share video?

Subscribe to email?

Create Columns D and E and list the second and third best possible actions after consuming each page. 

Going through this process forces you to understand that all websites are just a serious of previous<>next decisions. This spreadsheet will streamline your information architecture, and will make it very obvious where the content on the page is mis-aligned with your objectives for that page. 

I understand why leaders allow lack of hierarchy to occur. It can hurt people's feelings to hear that their baby, the piece of the business for which they are responsible, is less important than something else (at least temporarily).

So you have to be good at how you message this. You have to deftly explain to the Inverter Linear team that while their work is exceptional, (I looked it up, and evidently it's a fancy motor that "helps keep food fresher"?) you are going to refrain from putting a mysterious term and logo on a few million refrigerators, and instead just talk about LG. 

In a world where AI is going to make it even easier to barrage customers and prospects with information, having the courage to picking ONE differentiator and leaning into it is more important than ever. 

The Books Report

Following his excellent books The Self-Employed Life, and Lingo, my friend Jeffrey Shaw is back with his latest: Sell to the Rich.

He spent four decades as the portrait photographer for some of the the world's highest net-worth families, and he really understands the unique mindset and messaging of this valuable buyer cohort. 

Indispensable book if you sell upscale, but very useful and interesting regardless. $18.95, and just came out. 

Jay's Faves - Who Needs a Vacation?

I told you recently that I bought a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Casa Periquito is all set up now (5BR, 6BA) and ready for guest reservations. 

20% off all rates for The Baer Facts readers! 

Airbnb listing is here. If you're ever interested, just email me and I'll put you in touch with our property manager, who will get you a discount code. 

Salud! 

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