A few months ago, it was mid-afternoon and I was sitting alone at a table in a coffee shop. I was trying to put the 15 ‘free’ minutes between meetings to good use….i.e., some coffee and some reading. I looked up just in time to see my friend Jim enter with another fellow. Jim walked over to my table and said, “Rick, meet Bob. Bob, meet Rick. Bob, this is the fellow I was talking to you about last week. How about I get the coffees while you talk with Rick. Bob…maybe the two of you can hash out a deal so Rick provides the service we discussed.”

 

Jim got in the coffee line-up and Bob sat down at my table, across from me. Bob summarized the situation at his business. He outlined his understanding of what Jim had told him about my services and asked what it would take to have me sitting in his office providing the first piece of my service within 2 weeks. I told him. He extended his hand and we shook on the deal. We both put the first meeting date and time into our BlackBerrys. Bob thanked me. Then Bob got up to join Jim in the coffee line-up.

 

The entire interaction took perhaps 2 or 3 minutes.

 

I had a sip of coffee, looked up at the coffee line-up and a question popped into my mind….what can I do to deliver experiences of that quality?