Making every show feel like the only show

I was talking to my friend Dom this week who revealed that he used to be a scuba diver instructor in Egypt when he was 17.

"Wow" said Hayley, "that must've been so cool! What a dream"

"Well" Dom replied, "like any job, when you do it all day, for seven days a week, it quickly becomes unpleasant"

As someone who once had a full scale panic attack snorkeling in Biscayne National Park, the idea of scuba diving doesn't really appeal to me. But to Hayley — who had coincidentally been taught scuba diving on the same Egyptian coast line — it sounded idyllic.

It got me thinking; Hayley's instructor probably felt the same thing as Dom, but to Hayley it remains one of her most treasured experiences.

Hugh Jackman tells a story on the Tim Ferriss podcast about how before each theatre performance he stands hidden in the wings of the theatre to feed off of the energy of the crowd as they settle in their seats.

I will stand in the wings, I like to listen to that titter of excitement as people come in to the theatre, because I love the theatre myself and it reminds me of how privileged I am, and how I owe every single audience member a debt for coming to see my show. They're not coming in to see my fourth show of the week, they're coming to see the show for the first, and probably only, time in their lives — and who knows what they've sacrificed to get there.

Hugh Jackman's approach reminds me the excellent Eleven Madison Park episode on the popular Netflix show; 7 Days Out.

7 Days Out chronicles the seven day lead up to a major event, and in this case it focuses on the renovation of Eleven Madison Park — a multi award winning restaurant in NYC often described as the best restaurant in the world. The episode does a great job of showcasing the almost fanatical attention to detail given to every single aspect of the restaurant. It's truly remarkable (the gold leaf ceiling is a particularly stressful highlight).

As they point out in the episode, many people have saved up to visit their restaurant or are celebrating an extremely special occasion. This may be their only experience of Eleven Madison Park. The entire staff at the restaurant at every single level understand their importance to that experience; and they hold themselves accountable.

You see this time and time again, especially in hospitality, from Channel 4's The Billion Pound Hotel about the luxury Burj Al Arab, to the excellent 2012 BBC documentary Inside Claridge's.

But what about in your industry?

When you do something every day it can be easy to fall into the same mindset as Dom. At some point we all experience that. Maybe it's a new project with the same type of client, who has the same needs and presents the same challenges. Or giving the exact same talk to the same type of audience. Or going through the same old slide on your well worn investor presentation. We all have that moment.

But here's the thing. No two clients are the same.

It can be easy to think of your offering as the 53rd time you've gone through the same process. But to that client, to that audience, to that investor, it's the first (and probably only) time.

You need to make them feel like it's your best performance.

Take a leaf out of Hugh Jackman's ritual and reconnect to that "titter of excitement" that your clients feel when they start to work with you. Treat them like a diner at Eleven Madison Park celebrating their anniversary, or a guest making a wedding proposal on the helipad at the Burj Al Arab.

This isn't their fourth show of the week with you. It's their only show.

It's OK to feel like Dom from time to time. But it's essential that our clients feel like Hayley.

Creative Director and brand thinker at Peregrine Communications — specialising in the strategy and design for asset management.