“I worry we’re forcing our customers to behave in a way that’s good for us, rather than us working in a way that’s good for them…”

- CEO/National Retailer

Too often, the corporate leadership responsible for shaping a customer’s brand experience isn’t even in the target audience for that product or service.

You know that to improve customer loyalty, drive growth and protect margins, it’s more imperative than ever to create real value for your customers. Especially if your business, product or service is feeling the pinch of commoditization

You - and your people - feel constrained, scrambling to keep up with the minutiae of competitors’ offerings and prices.  While at the same time, you sense you may be losing touch with your customer, and maybe even your frontline employees.  And when you peek into the future of your business, the vision is just a little unsettling.  

So where do you turn to stop this negative inertia?

An Experience Makeover with Mike Wittenstein can be the catalyst to implementing the kind of fundamental - yet dramatic - change that wows customers, excites employees, and pleases shareholders.


You May Need an Experience Makeover If…


You’re a Retailer– Department, big box, specialty, destination

Your brand feels the pinch of commoditization – Do you look just like everyone else in your category?  Are you always faced with having to lower your price to keep customers or to bring new ones in?

You wish your brand to be truly different – Already well-operated, profitable companies seeking to differentiate themselves even further from their competition


How Does An Experience Makeover Work?


Each Experience Makeover is customized to your specific business or situation, but several core elements remain consistent…

•  See what your customer sees – Whether it’s a mystery shop, hidden camera or other observational technique (all with your permission), Mike will experience precisely what your customers experience.  Then he’ll illustrate for you the emotional and operational highs and lows that indelibly shape a customer’s impression of your brand.

•  See what your employee sees – Mike will actually “work” for your company, whether behind the counter, on the salesroom floor or in your call center.  He’ll combine that hands-on experience with interviews of employees to understand their perspective on your company, how they’re trained, their interactive process with the customer, and what influences a positive or negative customer experience.  You get insight into what matters most on the front lines, and ideas on how to make practical changes people will notice.

•  Shop-alongs for The Big Kahunas – Mike will take senior executives (or your Experience Project Team) on a “tour” of their own store or business from the outside-in, roll-playing the part of your customer.  You’ll see and feel how that customer interacts with every aspect of your brand (websites, call center, employees, products, services, displays, signage, etc.).

•  Innovation Acceleration – Mike not only gathers and organizes all this information, he works collaboratively with your people to generate corporate consensus, develop powerful new ideas, and guide the actual implementation of a new process.  If you like, he’ll also leave behind an up-and-running system you can use to continue innovating on your own so that your customer experience stays fresh.


Does It Hurt?

Uncovering the sins and flaws that lead to a poor customer experience can be a little discomforting.  But any short-term pain is quickly overcome by the realization that your brand is now focused on creating loyal customer advocates, distancing yourself from your competitors, and maximizing revenue and profitability.

“Over the last two years, during one of the worst recessions in history, we managed to grow our sales over 40%, hire 35 new employees, and expand from a tee shirt-based product line to one that now offers dresses, jackets, pants, accessories, and more.  We now have highly visible, dedicated floor space in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macys, and better boutiques throughout the world.  Our guiding light throughout has been to view our business through the eyes of the consumer, and to surprise them with experiences that will keep them coming back.  Much of our success can be traced back to the work we did with Mike Wittenstein.”

- Evan Toporek, President, Alternative Apparel