How You Make Them Feel.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about personal courage, sacrifice, and exceptional care.

The happiest moments of my life are remembered because of how they made me feel. There are the big memories, of course, like my first date with Sheila, our wedding day, and the birth of our three children. These, and many others like them, are remembered because they dramatically changed my life. There are also the smaller micro-moments when someone gave me the gift of joy. I'm not really talking about receiving joy as the result of a gift, but rather having joy as a result of their giving.

For example, it wasn't the Walkman radio my big brother gave me when he first came home from the Army on a two-day leave, but rather the fact that he carried it with him through the duration of his long journey home. It wasn't receiving the giant "get well" card from my schoolmates when I was sick with pneumonia, but rather the fun time we shared together when they all came crowding into my hospital room to visit me. It wasn't the words he used when my youth group leader told me he was proud of me, but rather the sincerity in his voice that made the impact.

This is about being thought of when there's a long list of things to think about. It is about spending time when there isn't a moment to spare, or hearing an unexpected word of encouragement when you truly needed to hear it. These are the gifts that transform moments into memories.

There can be powerful moments created such as these in business among your colleagues, employees, and most importantly with your customers. As a marketer, you can demonstrate a genuine mission of trustworthiness in your industry. You can strive for customer delight and foster goodwill as the steward of the company brand. You can truly create an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand, which extends well beyond the value of the sticker price. All of this is not by what you say or do, but rather by how you make people feel.

It is simple, but it isn't easy. The reason I remember many of the moments I've described this morning is that they each required something uncommon to create them. Some of the most memorable moments I have were made with personal courage, sacrifice, and exceptional care. Courage, sacrifice, and exceptional care are just as available in business as they are in your personal life. Even if it isn't easy, all you have to do to create these moments is to think of others first. I believe it is as today's fortune says, "To affect the quality of the day is no small achievement."