Episode 47: Customer Experience With Joey Coleman

On this episode Bella catches up with Joey Coleman, Chief Experience Composer, Design Symphony.  They talk about things you can do as a business owner to create a meaningful customer experience. Ideas include: Sending personalized gifts to your customers seemingly at random Sending handwritten notes thanking them for trusting you with their fur baby Keeping track of simple things like the pet's birthday and sending acknowledgements Doing a monthly quick check of the pet (for any issues) Joey Coleman Giving the pet a bath unexpectedly Sending quick personalized videos of the you and the pet to the client. For over a decade, Joey has helped organizations retain their best customers and turn them into raving fans via his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects. His First 100 Days methodology helps fuel successful customer experience endeavors at companies and organizations around the world. As a recognized expert in customer experience design and an award-winning speaker at national and international conferences, Joey specializes in creating unique, attention- grabbing customer experiences. He works with companies ranging from small VC-funded start-ups, to large Fortune 500s, with hundreds of mid-size businesses in between. Joey developed his narrative skills as a criminal defense trial attorney, advised and counseled Fortune 500 companies as a business consultant, honed his communications and messaging skills at the White House, and did things for the U.S. Secret Service and the CIA that he can't talk about publicly. His design and artwork has been displayed in museums, featured in juried shows, and graced publications in the U.S. and abroad. When not traveling the world (48 countries and counting) for keynote presentations, client workshops, and quality beach time, Joey enjoys watching magnificent sunsets from his mountain-top home in Colorado with his wife and two young sons. Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 47 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I'm your host, Bella Vasta with Jump Consulting, and today I don't even know where to begin. Joey Coleman is my guest, and you guys, listen up to this biography because this is going to explain to you exactly why you need to stop whatever you're doing, put down the laundry, pull over, stop walking—well, don't stop walking the dog—and listen to what we're about to say. When organizations like the Hyatt Hotels, NASA, the World Bank, and Zappos need to build their customer experience, they call this guy you’re about to hear: Joey Coleman. For over a decade, Joey's helped organizations retain their best customers and turn them into raving fans through his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects. His First 100 Days methodology helps fuel successful customer experience endeavors at companies and organizations around the world. As a recognized expert in customer experience design and an award-winning speaker at national and international conferences, Joey specializes in creating unique, attention-grabbing customer experiences. I can definitely vouch for that because he threw it down at Social Media Marketing World—that's where we first met. He works with companies ranging from small VC-funded startups to large Fortune 500s, covering the full spectrum with hundreds of midsize businesses in between. Joey developed his narrative skills as a criminal defense trial attorney—talk about a Renaissance man—and advised and counseled Fortune 500 companies as a business consultant. He honed his communication and messaging skills at the White House and even did things for the Secret Service that he can’t talk about. He's designed artwork and displays at museums, featured in juried shows, and greeted the public in the U.S. and abroad. When not traveling the world—over 48 countries and counting—for keynote presentations, client workshops, and quality beach time, he enjoys watching magnificent sunsets from his mountaintop home in Colorado with his wife and two kids. Bella: Joey, anything you're about to say right now, I'm going to listen to because your world experiences just blow my mind. Joey: Aw, thanks, Bella. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. It’s my pleasure. As you mentioned, we had the chance to meet at Social Media Marketing World, and as anybody who's a regular listener or watcher of you knows, your spirit is infectious and I love it. When you asked me, I was honored to be on the show, so I’m excited to chat today. Bella: What strikes me about you is how personable you are. I've been around speakers before who are either having people hustle them off to the back room or refusing photos. But you and I sat next to each other in Mark Schaefer's workshop, just chatting like old buddies. I asked you then if you'd be on the podcast, and you immediately said yes. Would you call your life a reinvention, or just living it to the fullest? Because you sound like a Renaissance man. Joey: Well, thank you. I’m flattered. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time. I think we need to make the most of the life we have. I’ve never been fully fulfilled focusing on just one thing. Like most people, I’ve got a lot of different interests, curiosities, and motivations. Throughout my career, if there’s a thread worth pulling, I pull it and see where it goes. Looking back, the common thread across everything I’ve done is a love for understanding why people do what they do—their decisions, their actions—and how studying that helps us influence behavior. That mindset was valuable as a criminal defense lawyer. When most jurors assume “if that person’s here, they must be guilty,” my job was to challenge that. I’d say, “Here are your predisposed beliefs, but here are the facts.” That focus on facts, building a case, and understanding human motivation has carried through every career. Bella: It’s like you’ve become a professional storyteller who can recreate a story no matter where you’re dropped in the world. Joey: That’s the goal. If you think about it, storytelling goes back to the earliest humans sitting around the fire in a cave. That hasn’t changed—whether it’s Snapchat, Instagram, sales meetings, webinars, or hanging with friends. We love people who tell stories. Stories teach us, guide us, and move us emotionally. Bella: I love that. I’m actually working on improving storytelling myself. Every business can apply that—ask yourself, am I telling a story or just talking at people? There’s a big difference. Joey: Exactly. That ties to my First 100 Days philosophy. When someone decides to do business with you, from day one you have 100 days to create a remarkable experience. If you don’t, they’ll leave. If you do, you can have a customer for life. The way you do that is by connecting deeply and meaningfully early on—reinforcing their decision, helping them get the most from your product or service, and letting them know they matter. Most businesses today are so focused on numbers—growth, payroll, metrics—that they forget the emotional side. The best stories hit emotions. For example, if you describe Star Wars as “plans are stolen, the base is destroyed,” it’s boring. But add Darth Vader, Luke, and Leia, their relationships and symbols, and it becomes powerful. It’s the same with your business. You’re not “walking dogs.” You’re giving pet owners peace of mind, solving guilt, and creating emotional relief. Bella: Preach! Joey: Exactly. A robot or teenager could walk a dog—it’s not about the task. It’s about emotion. You’re giving owners permission to feel okay about not doing it themselves. Bella: That’s brilliant. Joey: And there’s a direct link between that emotional storytelling and perceived value. The only reason someone can beat you on price is because you haven’t given your customer anything else to measure you by. Bella: Amen. Joey: If a competitor undercuts you, that’s on you—you didn’t make yourself valuable enough. So how do you compete? You make your service personal. Message owners regularly, send them photos or videos of their pets. Most dog owners see their pets as family. A surprise photo or note brings joy. Make it random but regular. Also, budget for small gifts—a new toy, leash, or photo shoot after one year. Hire a photographer to take pictures of the dogs you walk, then gift framed photos with a handwritten note: “Thanks for trusting me with Sparky.” They’ll never forget it. Bella: That’s fantastic. Joey: And stop giving gifts only at Christmas—it’s expected and gets lost in the noise. Instead, celebrate anniversaries or birthdays. Make pet birthdays part of your intake form. But don’t ask for info you won’t use. And coupons are not gifts. Bella: Yes! So let’s bring this back to the first 100 days. What can we do early on? Joey: First, thank them for the business. A handwritten note goes a long way. Reference the pet’s name and express gratitude. Then, give them reasons to appreciate you—send updates, be observant, notice changes in their pet’s health, and communicate that care. Even a monthly “10-point checkup” message—simple but powerful. Bella: That’s brilliant. And so many sitters already do this but forget to highlight it. It’s about making the invisible visible. Joey: Exactly. Most businesses fail to tell customers how much they actually do. Your touches should feel random to the client but be systematic in your business. Build a plan for day 10, day 25, and so on. If you’re overwhelmed, batch it—video day, thank-you note day, photo day. Bella: I love that. And I can see how this builds emotional connection and loyalty. Joey: Totally.