Every feature was perfectly chiseled. When each smiled the glare of perfect teeth was accentuated by the faint tan. My wife pointed out that the hair was more than impeccable, because it was a meticulously produced wig. All three girls were past picture perfect.

The lines waiting to visit each of the three were 20 to 30 deep with little girls (along with parents) waiting with that look of anticipation that is only reserved for relationships with Jolly Old Saint Nick. Some of the girls were in costumed dressed that mimicked The Princesses.

Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella were at the head of the respective lines waiting to perform their magic on the waiting masses of young lasses in Toon Town at Disneyland. It was clear that each “actor” had been chosen from thousands of applicants, since each was indeed an incarnate of their cartoon counterpart.

We watched each lower themselves to the level of the appropriate girl for a brief face to face, saying quiet things with love soaked smiles, that made little eyes glow. At the appropriate time the pen would appear out of thin air to sign a proffered autograph book. Faces were turned to a waiting parent, their camera loaded and ready for action.

My wife and I were celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary at Disneyland (a return to the scene of the crime). This time our visit was heavy in observation as we studied the Disney artistry of creating Guest Engagements. As we watched the staged greetings of the princesses, we were mesmerized by the shock and awe for the little girls. More especially we noticed the mastered behavior of the Disney princess characters.

As we watched yet another diminutive Cinderella fan lean against the turquoise blue of royal gown, my wife commented, “they don’t blink.”

“What?”

“They don’t blink.”

The hair, the dress, the looks, the trained hand positions were all part of the engagement. But to train a human Disney character to focus on not blinking during the picture taking moment reflects on the absolute fanaticism that Disney has for “Guest Engagements”.

Dating is an experience.
Marriage is an engagement (although it is an experience for sure as well).

To engage your customer then is a long term relationship where you manage the individual experiences and interactions and manage those to the positive.
A recent Gallop poll indicates that an engaged customer (versus a satisfied customer) is worth an additional 23% premium in your pricing over your standard offering.

So not only is an engaging customers more profitable, but is also results in more sales, and a lower cost of prospecting.

So like Disney, who starts marketing your NEXT visit before your current engagement, you will want to think, “what is the “blinking” that I am doing that might mar the customers experience?”