Today in my CEO mastermind one of the business owners asked a question about enterprise sales. In response another business owner said that one needs to use multiple channels; that email and phone calls are insufficient.

And then he gave an example.

In the experience share, he described how one of his salesmen was working on a deal. It was a big deal. He suggested his salesman take the client out for beers, just get to know them. They won the business, and he paraphrased the client as saying ,”I like you guys, I’m going to go with you guys”

It was supposed to be an illustration of how multiple channels are needed. That’s probably true, but that’s a means to an end. What’s the end? What’s the thing that’s really doing the work?

Aren’t humans rational? Don’t we weigh up the the costs and the benefits and choose the most sensible thing? Surely the CEO sharing this story should have won the business on merit?

But that’s not what happened.

Which is not to say they didn’t merit the business; they do, they’re a great firm. It’s just that merit is no longer a competitive advantage. Beyond a certain (pretty entry) level, any of the service providers will get the job done.

And if they can all get the job done, then what is the basis of the customer decision?

It’s how they feel. More specifically, it’s how they feel about you. And even more specifically, it’s how you make them feel about you.

That’s experience design. The steps you take to craft an experience that creates a feeling in your customer which makes you stand out in a crowded room of equally merited alternatives.

So whatchya gonna do?