Business School with Sharran Srivatsaa - Episode Summary: "Engineer Delight"

In the October 22, 2024 episode of Business School with Sharran Srivatsaa, host Sharran Srivatsaa delves into the concept of "Engineering Delight"—a strategic approach to enhancing both business growth and personal satisfaction. Drawing from his extensive experience in real estate, private equity, and business leadership, Sharran provides actionable insights on creating memorable and delightful experiences for clients and within personal relationships.

1. Introduction to Engineering Delight

[00:00] Sharran opens the episode by highlighting a common issue in business: relying solely on consistent, everyday efforts to generate referrals and growth. While these steady actions keep the business operational, they often fail to propel it forward. Sharran introduces the idea of "engineering delight" as a means to transform routine interactions into memorable experiences that foster significant growth and lasting client relationships.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "Our best clients come from our best clients and our best ideas come from our best ideas. So how can we do more where we engineer delight?" [00:00]

2. Lessons from Parenting: Roses and Thorns

Sharran shares a personal anecdote about his nightly routine with his children, where he asks them about their "rose and thorn" of the day. This practice reveals that children remember and value unexpected and delightful moments over routine activities.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "The things that my daughter remembers the most are the unexpected experiences or the delightful experiences... they never remember the routine moments." [01:18]

Key Takeaway: In both personal and professional settings, it's the extraordinary moments that leave a lasting impression, not the mundane tasks.

3. Mapping the Customer Timeline

Sharran introduces a practical exercise to map out the client journey more effectively:

1. Draw a Horizontal Timeline: Representing the client's journey from initial contact to ongoing relationship.
2. Top Line - Client Actions: Document everything the client does (e.g., sees an ad, opts in, reviews a proposal).
3. Bottom Line - Business Actions: Record your responses to the client's actions.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "Most people never even map out the journey, let alone how to do it." [05:30]

Benefit: This dual-mapping approach reveals interactions and inefficiencies in the process, highlighting opportunities to insert delightful experiences.

4. Identifying Opportunities for Delight

With the client’s actions and your business responses clearly mapped, Sharran emphasizes identifying moments where delight can be engineered. He suggests integrating delightful elements that are either unexpected or add significant value to the client's experience.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "Where can you introduce delight into the client experience, into your business experience overall?" [08:15]

Strategy: Look for points in the timeline where a surprise element or added value can enhance the client's perception and satisfaction.

5. Four Principles of Engineering Delight

Sharran outlines four types of delight that can be strategically used to enrich client interactions:

1. Unexpected Actions:

   • Example: A dentist personally following up after an appointment.

     Sharran Srivatsaa: "She called me personally... that was something I was not expecting." [10:45]

2. Insightful Actions:

   • Example: A real estate agent proactively scheduling gutter cleaning services for a client.

     Sharran Srivatsaa: "She managed everything on text message... she didn't sell me work." [11:30]

3. Emotional Actions:

   • Example: Friends sending a signed picture frame and thank-you card after attending the Super Bowl.

     Sharran Srivatsaa: "My wife was so emotional... they sent us a picture frame, signed, and a card." [12:28]

4. Tangible Value:

   • Criteria: Actions that increase revenues, decrease costs, increase joy, or reduce stress.

     Sharran Srivatsaa: "Does it increase revenues? Does it decrease costs? Does it increase joy? Does it reduce stress?" [13:45]

6. Practical Examples of Engineering Delight

Sharran provides real-world examples to illustrate each principle:

• Unexpected: A dentist personally checking on a patient’s recovery post-treatment.
• Insightful: A real estate agent not just informing clients about gutter cleaning but arranging the service for them.
• Emotional: Receiving a thoughtfully framed and signed photo from a significant event like the Super Bowl.
• Tangible Value: Offering solutions that directly benefit the client, such as reducing their stress or increasing their joy through thoughtful service offers.

7. Implementing and Automating Delight

Sharran advises that delightful actions should be consistent and, where possible, automated to ensure they are delivered reliably every time. For instance, automated personalized emails that ask clients about their concerns can generate valuable feedback and foster a deeper connection.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "If you can automate that delight, it's even more powerful because you know that it's going to happen every single time." [15:00]

8. Conclusion and Call to Action

Sharran wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of engineering delight to transform client relationships and drive business growth. He encourages listeners to take immediate action by mapping their client timelines and identifying strategic points to insert delightful experiences.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "It's time to engineer some delight just by going through this exercise." [16:30]

Additionally, he offers a special gift to listeners—a private podcast called "10K Wisdom"—providing high-value insights for business leaders.

Sharran Srivatsaa: "Go to 10kwisdom.com and my team will activate it for you as my gift." [16:45]

Key Quotes with Timestamps

• Importance of Engineering Delight:

  "Our best clients come from our best clients and our best ideas come from our best ideas." [00:00]

• Lessons from Parenting:

  "The things that my daughter remembers the most are the unexpected experiences or the delightful experiences." [01:18]

• Mapping the Customer Timeline:

  "Most people never even map out the journey, let alone how to do it." [05:30]

• Identifying Opportunities for Delight:

  "Where can you introduce delight into the client experience, into your business experience overall?" [08:15]

• Tangible Value Criteria:

  "Does it increase revenues? Does it decrease costs? Does it increase joy? Does it reduce stress?" [13:45]

• Automating Delight:

  "If you can automate that delight, it's even more powerful because you know that it's going to happen every single time." [15:00]

• Call to Action:

  "It's time to engineer some delight just by going through this exercise." [16:30]

• Special Offer:

  "Go to 10kwisdom.com and my team will activate it for you as my gift." [16:45]

Final Thoughts

Sharran Srivatsaa's "Engineer Delight" episode is a compelling guide for entrepreneurs and business leaders aiming to elevate their client interactions beyond the ordinary. By focusing on creating unexpected, insightful, emotional, and tangibly valuable moments, businesses can cultivate deeper client relationships, foster loyalty, and drive exponential growth. Implementing these strategies not only enhances the client experience but also enriches personal relationships, making life and business more fulfilling.

For more insights and resources, visit Sharran.com.