Create an experience, and ship it. It might feel a bit awkward at first, but can you actually die of embarrassment if you start your meeting a little differently? Probably not. Will trying something a little different this time kill your business? Probably not.

Have you got something to lose? Maybe your sense of comfort. Maybe you’ll feel self conscious the first time you try. Maybe you’ll lose that sale. Maybe you would have lost it anyway. Maybe your competitors are already playing the new game.

Think about star ratings. Nobody buys a product or a service that doesn’t have at a great rating. Great products and services are no longer competitive advantages, they’re hygiene factors. If you don’t brush your teeth before you go on a date then you don’t get to go on another date. If you don’t sell a 5-star product or service today, you don’t get to sell another one tomorrow. That thing we all strived to achieve, great customer service, that’s just average now.

And so now that all your competitors make great stuff and provide great service, the choice that’s going to prove fatal will be who can create great experiences and who can’t.

Experience, how you make your customers feel, is how those customers choose between all the great 5-star options.