The power of surprise

The impact of unexpected gestures can be far-reaching and long lasting.

AS YOU read this, you may be eating Mandarin oranges or listening to Chinese New Year songs. Yes, it is that time of the year that, if you are still not married, you will be merrily receiving ang pow from relatives and elders.

Now, imagine for a moment that as you peep into the ang pow, you are pleasantly surprised to see that instead of the usual RM1 or RM5, you find a RM100 note.

You will think, “Gee, either uncle has won a lottery recently or I must have done something really good.” Whatever the reason is, it feels good to be pleasantly surprised.

If you are a boss or someone with subordinates, imagine as you walk into the office, you find that everything you are thinking of asking your staff to do that day is already done — as though they have read your mind. And not only that, there are some cookies and tea on the table with a note that says, “Boss, we know you were working late again last night without eating anything. Here’s a little something on us. Don’t forget to eat!” What a pleasant surprise!

Will you not immediately feel your employees are the best in the world despite any shortco-mings they may have at work?

While at the restaurant, instead of having to wave helplessly at the waiter who never seems to look your way, you instead are attended by a waiter who seems to anticipate your every need even without you requesting for anything.

Or while standing in a long queue at a bank’s ATM machine to deposit a single cheque, you see a bank staff approaching the people in the queue and offering to assist those with single cheques. The examples can go on and on.

The fact of the matter is that all of us like to be pleasantly surprised. We like it when someone does something nice to us or something turns out our way when we were least expecting it.

It does not have to be a very big gesture, item or gift, but the impact can be far-reaching and the impression, lasting. I call this ‘surprise marketing’.

Every year, companies spend a substantial amount of money on marketing and advertising. Yet, few leverage on the power of ‘surprise marketing’.

There is a saying that goes that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Surprise marketing is about doing something to your customers or prospects that they do not really expect from someone or a company in your industry. For example, is there a stigma about the service level in your industry?

If so, how about giving extra good service at no additional charge? What is the general public perception of the companies in your industry?

If efficiency and speed are not among the virtues your industry is known for, what can you do to prove that your company is otherwise? How about meeting your customers’ deadlines ahead of time?

If people equate those who work in your industry as being shallow minded and insincere, what can you do to change that misconception?

If you are an SME that does not have big marketing bud-gets, what can you do to leave a lasting impression on your customer without having to spend on big advertisements? How can you be different so your customers can be impressed enough to refer other customers to you?

Last year, while enjoying our Chinese New Year dinner in a very crowded restaurant, my family and I were pleasantly surprised by the most awesome service we received from a 17-year-old girl.

Although our table was just one of the many she was handling, she not only attended to our requests with the sweetest of smiles, she was also very proactive in anticipating them and attending to it before being asked.

We do not usually give ang pow to waitresses but for her excellent service, that 17-year-old got a very big thank you from us.

Jeanisha and her small team have just finished a round of ‘surprise marketing’ by delivering ‘singing telegrams’ while they delivered Mandarin oranges to clients recently. They donned costumes and sang! She wishes all readers a Happy Chinese New Year!