Great harm is done when we alienate a story people want to tell themselves.
If we removed tipping in America, we remove the stories people tell themselves about status, about gifting, about intrinsically feeling good. (We tip 20% because it’s worth 25% to us.)
When we support bars that have automatic dispensers with a pay-as-you-go system and only one staff member to check IDs at the door, we eliminate the stories people tell themselves about connection, about having a place to vent to someone willing to listen, about being part of a community.
We have to be careful what we remove in the effort to become remarkable. Doing so can alienate a lot of stories and, by extension, a lot of customers.
Better to err on the side of allowing people to have more stories to tell. To curate an experience that can benefit the status seekers, community seekers, and the philanthropic seekers.
Any change in the number of stories you help people tell, whether + or -, can make the news, but no one likes to only tell themselves one story.
One story is quickly forgotten. More stories, carefully designed, is better.
Stay Positive & What Stories Are Your Customers Telling Themselves?
Photo credit
- It Might Be A Reflection - October 8, 2024
- The Special Ingredient - October 7, 2024
- Aftermath - October 6, 2024
