In the days and weeks ahead, I am going to be sharing some incredible business insights I gained at a seminar last week, but first, I want to talk about measuring the intangibles. “Huh?” you may be asking yourself, “How can you measure something you can’t see or touch?” We can measure these by the reaction.
When I add x amount of lye mixture to y amount of oils, there is a noticeable reaction: They emulsify and thicken, their temperature increases, and the chemical reaction produces soap and glycerin. But what about those reactions we are unable to measure?
Today at church, an elderly lady who usually sings in the choir sat behind me. While her voice is “wobbly” in her opinion, I thought she had the loveliest soprano voice, clear as a bell, and that tiny little bit of “wobble” it may have reminded me of my grandma when she sang. After church, I shared with Carolyn what I thought of her singing. She was pleased, but other than that, I have no way of knowing how my words affected her.
After church and after lunch had settled, I donned shorts and sneakers and set out for my Sunday afternoon walk. The weather was decidedly spring-like, and no way was I staying in on such an unseasonably gorgeous day! I fired up the fitness app on my phone to track my time, pace, and distance; tucked it in my back pocket; and started pounding pavement. There was a rather brisk breeze that felt wonderful against that sun beating down, and as I started on the first leg of my walk, everything was great. Then I rounded the cul de sac and went the other way and… Holy crap! That headwind was brutal! I had to work to keep pace against it. My fitness app has no way of measuring quantitatively the extra work my muscles did in battling that wind (twice), or the way my muscles had to work when that same wind was coming at me from the side. While my fitness app won’t reflect the extra work my body did, my body knows what it did: It knows how much energy it used in doing so, as well as the energy it’ll use in the coming hours to repair and rebuild the muscles following that extra workout.
When I send my customers a hand-written note of some sort, I never have any idea how it feels for them to receive it. I hope it makes them feel good; I want them to have positive associations with my brand. I just never know, though. My note could arrive in the midst of a stressful day and their minds are so cluttered, it doesn’t actually register. My note could also arrive when this person is feeling “blah,” so the extra warm touch enriches her day and brings a smile. I still don’t know of a way to measure that quantitatively, and I’m not sure it’s necessary to do so.
These are three examples of actions with intangible results, yet they are not immeasurable. Perhaps we can’t weigh them or quantify them in any way, but the results do still exist. I encourage you this week, do something that yields intangible results, at least one thing that will brighten someone’s day. When’s the last time you said, “Those are some awesome shoes!” or “Your nails are lovely!” Spread some sunshine around. Throw out some good vibes. And, business owners, send some of that love to your customers as well.
