The Enthusiasm Curve; or Thanks, Bose, Really!

Here’s a story that started on February 23rd. Finishing a hike at Shadow Cliff with Jake the Dog, I put my phone with attached Bose earbuds in my back pocket and sat down in the car. The plug snapped and there was no more sound. Arrrughhh!!! Completely my bad; I had killed my splurge $100 Bose earbuds. I looked on YouTube for a miracle fix but buying a soldering iron at this stage in life was out. Ready to toss them and go buy a cheap replacement (there was no way I was spending another $100 on earbuds), I called Bose almost as an afterthought. Maybe they had an easy fix. Truly surprising me they told me that they were going to send me a new set of ‘buds, for free, and all I’d pay was the shipping. What?!?! This was my fault without question but they were taking responsibility for my satisfaction. This was customer delight, right? My enthusiasm for Bose was off the curve. I told everyone I talked to that day about my extraordinary experience. I was a thrilled customer waiting for his ‘buds.

Here is where my enthusiasm began to bleed out a bit. In this Amazon-esque, instant gratification world you expect things to appear on your doorstep pretty quickly. If my replacements had arrived in two days I would have ridden the Enthusiasm Curve into downtown Obnoxious City, telling everybody, posting it on FB, stopping random people on the street to tell them that there was a company that cared!

However…It took 10 days for Bose to put the ‘buds out for shipping. 10! Imagine if they had shipped that day? They finally arrived on March 8, a full two weeks after the initial conversation. Here is my point; I remain impressed and grateful to Bose for stepping up and supporting me to an unexpected level But if I was Bose and I’ve already given away the product, I want to get full credit for keeping that relationship flying high. I want to keep my customer surfing at the top of that Enthusiasm Curve, telling happy Bose stories to everybody, giving out solid 10’s on the Net Promoter surveys. So close, Bose!

Managing enthusiasm is often forgotten when working with people but the Enthusiasm Curve happens every day in the office, too. This is so short-sighted because enthusiasm is the difference between just an employee and an voracious advocate, between a customer and a rabid fan. Take the extra time to convert that enthusiasm into faithful participants.

Here’s an example: Remember back to the beginning of your career? You interviewed for that interesting job with a cool company. You really wanted it. You nailed it! Your small talk was interesting and effortless; the questions asked were tailor-made for your intelligence and style. You walked out of that interview at the top of the Enthusiasm Curve, ready to slay monsters and overcome any obstacles. Imagine if before you got home, you get this call; “Hey, you have to work here. We are made for each other. We want you to start today!” How committed would you be? You’d race back, roll up your sleeves and jump right in. Money, benefits, anything would be secondary priorities; this was not a job, it was your life’s purpose. Surf that Enthusiasm Cure to success and happiness!

But, more likely, here’s what happened: The next day you were still super psyched and looking to get the call or the email inviting you to join them and contribute. If you were the hiring manager, this is the enthusiasm level you want in people you bring on board; ready to go-get ‘em, able to learn and overcome all the challenges of starting a new gig in a new culture. But it was probably days if not weeks before the “hey, you interviewed for a job three weeks ago. Are you still available?” call got to you. At the top of the Enthusiasm Curve you were ready to shift your life to be part of that mission, but now? It’s just a job. “Sure, fine, and can you remind me again what the benefit contribution is?”

I want to hire and work with great employees and have them bring enthusiasm to inject into the organization. Enthusiasm will make it easier for them treat customer’s right, be a joy to have on the team, to commit, work hard,. We all have plenty of staff members; we want extraordinary teammates. Manage the Enthusiasm Curve around you!