Yesterday, because I am thorough in my research, I was watching old TV commercials from the 1970s, including one for the long-gone Continental Airlines.
It featured a bouncy jingle that’s still playing in my head:
We live to make you happy
We’re out to make you pleased
You’re flying Continental
Your flight will be a breeze
We’ll hop to make you happy
We’ll skip to prove it’s true
On Continental Airlines
We MOVE OUR TAIL FOR YOU…
… and then the refrain comes in, with a cross-section of all Continental employees — pilots, stewardesses, luggage handlers, admin personal, even the chefs who prepare the delectable meals — bleating “WE MOVE OUR TAIL FOR YOUUUU” over and over.
I looked it up, and back in 60s and 70s Continental really moved their tail to make their customers happy — larger, cushier seats, full meals (the commercial shows a chef preparing a giant salad), and complimentary drinks (alcoholic and soft), as well as additional perks like amenity kits, pillows, and blankets, all for free, all at no extra cost.
Today, of course, that’s unimaginable. So many of the things that airlines offered for free back in the 60s and 70s are now available and then some on a flight – but you gotta pay:
– checked baggage
– meals
– alcoholic drinks
– seat selection
– pillows and blankets
Continental Airlines no longer exists, at least under its own name (it was gradually absorbed into United). I guess Continental’s customers didn’t sufficiently appreciate all the tail moving to make this a viable long-term strategy.
Maybe there’s a lesson there? Maybe? In any case, I will share my idea, and you can decide if it could possibly be useful:
You can charge for what you offer for free now, or for what everybody else offers for free.
This doesn’t mean offering worse customer service, or turning yourself into the RyanAir of your industry.
But the fact is, “FREE” is a norm — whether it’s checked baggage or “free strategy sessions” or simple “let’s talk and see if we can benefit each other calls.”
Maybe that norm is one that’s working out for you. But if not, it’s one you can change, because norms are not rules of nature, but simply habitual ways of doing things.
I’m gonna write a new book one day, expanding on this idea.
For now though, I’ll just point you to my latest book, the “10 Commandments of Con Men, Pickup artists, Magicians, etc.” This book is not free, but I really did move my tail to make it both fun and valuable for you. If you haven’t read it yet: