Last Mental Image
Yesterday I had breakfast with my brother, his wife, and one of our former business professors who is still a great friend. The service and the food were pretty good, with me relishing a bowl of oatmeal and dry wheat toast as penance for my holiday splurge. After the plates were picked up and the check was delivered and paid, there were no further offers for coffee refills even though we sat there and talked for another hour midst a sparse crowd in the restaurant.
I assume once our waitress delivered the check she considered her work at our table to be done. Then there is this skill they teach in food service school of being able to avoid eye contact with customers. She was flawless but I'm sure also clueless.
Roy Williams at Wizard Academy talks a lot about the importance of first and last mental images when developing advertising copy. The same applies to someone's experience with your business. Yesterday my first image was good. Place was clean, service was quick. But that last mental image of a cold and lonely coffee cup yearning for one more fill...
Be sure to stay engaged with your customers until they are ready to leave, whether it's your store, your cell phone, or your website. Don't squander a good first impression with a fumble on the one-yard line.