“Consumer.” We see it all the time in business strategy, but the truth is, “consumer” only applies to commodities. The word misses the point for most companies in two major ways. First, it’s company-centric. It implies that consumers will consume what the company creates; people will use up an offering and, ideally, consume it again. Here’s an example of how limiting the term is: In the greeting card industry, people don’t consume greeting cards, they give them. They are givers. If strategists at a card company talked about their customers as “givers,” a rich array of givers’ attributes would come to mind; they’d explore what it means to give and how the company can support the experience of giving. By contrast, sticking with the word “consumer” keeps the focus narrowly on the attributes of the cards to be consumed.

What questions do you have about the Collaboratives?

All too often fitness centers, medical providers, colleges, and organizations in many other industries seek to distinguish themselves only on the quality, convenience, and experience of what they sell. It’s not that those things aren’t important. But they matter only as means to the ends that people seek.

Today we are joined by Matt Maher, a Futurist specializing in augmented and virtual realities, web3, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), and voice technology.

I’ve been working to create a new measurement, one that definitively identifies customer and business impact. If you were creating a new measure of success, what customer metrics would you be most interested in looking at?

You can now watch us as we nerd out about Experience Strategy because… We are on YouTube!!!

We are excited to share news of our recently formed partnership with the Transformational Travel Council (TTC) who will participate in the inaugural Transformation Economy Collaborative, designed and guided by Joe Pine (author of The Experience Economy), leading Transformation Coach and Experience Strategist, Aransas Savas and me (co-author with Joe on “The New You Business”, Harvard Business Review 2022).

Any company worth its’ salt is going to ask customers what they think. Most of the time, however, companies are asking the wrong questions.

So much is changing in your company’s business model. New competitors, rapidly changing technologies, and new ways of thinking about the populations you serve. Consumerization is here. Healthcare companies must have a strategic point of view on the types of experiences they create for their customers.

At Stone Mantel, JTBD is at the heart of all we do, and we are leading experts on the subject.

Along with powerful and action-focused research and a guided innovation journey, did you know that members of The Collaboratives gain a robust and well-rounded education in the art and science of Experience Strategy?

Jamie Norwood, named to Inc.’s Top 100 Female Founders and Forbes 1000, is the co-founder of Stix, a fast-growing startup in healthcare challenged by how to serve extremely distinct customer needs. In this episode we look at how Modes can create confident shoppers, a sense of community, and continuity across shopper journeys. Tune in and discover how you can apply these frameworks to businesses of any size or category.

Today we are talking to Roger Beasley about Customer Modes, the mindsets and behaviors that help people get jobs done. We look at what they are and how they work through the lens of the restaurant industry. Tune in to learn how modes thinking has the key to unlock experience strategy and journey work in powerful new ways.

Perhaps the greatest thing that experience strategists have done to transform companies into customer-centered businesses is to invent the journey map. There was a time, two decades ago, when most companies never mapped the journey their customers must take to engage with them. Now it is common practice. A best practice. And a very important strategic document.

How can you turn your customer into a superhero? In today's episode, we are joined by Thomas Kolster, the Author of The Hero Trap and Goodvertising and one of the most recognized thinkers globally, where marketing, business, and sustainability meet. This week's episode covers experiences, why they are more sustainable than things, and how to make them truly transformational. Tune in to learn more about why you should be putting your customers in charge and turning them into superheroes instead of your brand.

Does your experience serve your current customer? How about your future customer? Do you know if your experience is time well spent for your customer? Or if they are truly engaged? Or if the outcomes you’re delivering matter to them? In today’s episode, we are joined by Sheila Akbar, the president & COO of Signet Education to explore what happens when companies make measurement a meaningful part of the experience.

In today’s episode, we are joined by Rilla Delorier. Rilla has over 30 years of experience as an executive leader within the financial services industry, serving as a trusted advisor to the CEOs of PNC, SunTrust, and Umpqua Bank. Tune in as we uncover how niche customer segments have completely upended the traditional way of thinking about banking, why it’s important to go after unmet customer needs, and the power of FinTech's approach to agile innovation.

In today’s episode, we are joined by Josh Liebman, the Guest Experience Evangelist for ROLLER Software. Josh has worked for some of the top tourism destinations in the world, from Walt Disney World and Universal Studios to Ritz Carlton, The Four Seasons, and Coca-Cola. With nearly 17 years of designing experiences in this industry, Josh specializes in service standards, complaint resolution, and guest feedback. Tune in as we look at how customer needs and expectations have changed and what we can do to help them feel cared for, supported, inspired, and connected in a post-pandemic world.

Family dynamics have been changing for a long time. It’s true. Companies spend most of their time understanding and delivering value to individuals. If they see families at all, they see them as a group of individuals, each with their own set of needs and preferences. Toy makers see parents as decision-makers and children as users. Content creators tell stories aimed at individuals within families. Consumer goods companies focus on decision-makers in families and assume that if the decision-maker has a family then … she will be busy. And therefore the best thing the goods can be is convenient!