Episode 154: BEST OF BELLA: Customer Experience With Joey Coleman

Bella chose this episode to be part of the Best Of Bella series because it is with Joey Coleman. She first saw him live at Social Media Marketing World 2017 and his presentation skills blew her out of the water. Without further ado, she wants all of you to experience Joey and his First 100 Days methodology. Time Stamp How has Joey done and accomplished the things in his life? [4:40] What is the First 100 Days methodology? [8:10] Is there a direct correlation between telling stories and solving problems and value? [12:50] How can business owners create a meaningful customer experience? [15:00] How can employees get involved? [28:45] Where can everyone find and connect with Joey? [30:50]     Highlights On this episode, Bella catches up with Joey Coleman, Chief Experience Composer of Design Symphony. They talk about things you can do as a business owner to create a meaningful customer experience like: Sending personalized gifts to your customers seemingly at random. Sending handwritten notes thanking them for trusting you with their fur baby. Keeping track of simple things like the pet’s birthday and sending acknowledgments. Doing a monthly quick check of the pet (for any issues). Giving the pet a bath unexpectedly. Sending quick personalized videos of you and the pet to the client. About Our Guest: For over a decade, Joey has helped organizations retain their best customers and turn them into raving fans via his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects. His First 100 Days methodology helps fuel successful customer experience endeavors at companies and organizations around the world. As a recognized expert in customer experience design and an award-winning speaker at national and international conferences, Joey specializes in creating unique, attention-grabbing customer experiences. He works with companies ranging from small VC-funded start-ups to large Fortune 500s, with hundreds of mid-size businesses in-between. Joey developed his narrative skills as a criminal defense trial attorney, advised and counseled Fortune 500 companies as a business consultant, honed his communications and messaging skills at the White House, and did things for the U.S. Secret Service and the CIA that he can’t talk about publicly. His design and artwork has been displayed in museums, featured in juried shows, and graced publications in the U.S. and abroad. When not traveling the world (48 countries and counting) for keynote presentations, client workshops, and quality beach time, Joey enjoys watching magnificent sunsets from his mountain-top home in Colorado with his wife and two young sons. Transcript: This is episode 154 of Best of Bella. I chose episode 49 to replay because it is from Joey Coleman. I first saw him live at Social Media Marketing World 2017, and his presentation skills blew me out of the water. This man is so incredible and so personable. But even more than that, his background is just mind-blowing. He has done things like become a criminal defense trial attorney, worked at the White House, and did things with the U.S. Secret Service and CIA he can't talk about publicly. He's designed artwork that's been displayed in museums. This man has lived the life of many people at such a young age. But more importantly, and for you today, he has this thing called The First 100 Days. He was so incredible that not only did I have him on the podcast about a year and a half ago, I also had him as a guest in the mastermind, and he just blew everyone out of the water. So without further ado, I want you to experience Joey Coleman and The 100 Days Methodology. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready — Bella's got your chute. Let's jump! Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I'm your host, Bella Vasta, with Jump Consulting. And today, I don't even know where to begin. Joey Coleman is my guest, and you guys, listen up to this biography because this is going to explain to you exactly why you need to stop whatever you're doing, put down the laundry, pull over — stop walking the… well, don't stop walking the dog — and listen to what we're about to say. When organizations like Hyatt Hotels, NASA, the World Bank, and Zappos need to build their customer experience, they call this guy you're about to hear — Joey Coleman. For over a decade, Joey's helped organizations retain their best customers and turn them into raving fans through his entertaining and actionable keynotes, workshops, and consulting projects. His First 100 Days methodology helps fuel successful customer experience endeavors at companies and organizations around the world. As a recognized expert in customer experience design and an award-winning speaker at national and international conferences, Joey specializes in creating unique, attention-grabbing customer experiences. I can definitely vouch for that because he threw it down at Social Media Marketing World — that's where we first met. He works with companies ranging from small VC-funded startups to large Fortune 500s, covering the gamut with hundreds of mid-sized businesses in between. Joey developed his narrative skills as a criminal defense trial attorney — talk about a Renaissance man — and advised Fortune 500 companies as a business consultant. He honed his communication and messaging skills at the White House and did things for the Secret Service that he can't even talk about. He's designed artwork displayed in museums and featured in juried shows in the U.S. and abroad. When not traveling the world to over 48 countries and counting for keynote presentations and client workshops, he enjoys watching magnificent sunsets from his mountaintop home in Colorado with his wife and two kids. Joey, anything you're about to say right now, I'm going to listen to because your world experiences just blow my mind. He thanks Bella and says it’s his pleasure. They reminisce about meeting at Social Media Marketing World and how approachable he was. Bella mentions how personable he is and how his openness makes people feel like old friends. She asks if he would call his life path a reinvention or simply living life to the fullest because he sounds like a Renaissance man. Joey explains that being a Renaissance man has been a goal of his. He believes in making the most of life and has never been fulfilled by focusing on only one thing. He’s motivated by curiosity and driven by a desire to understand why people do what they do — what drives decisions and behavior. That curiosity carried him through his many careers — from law to consulting to art — and helped him influence others’ decisions. He describes how, as a criminal defense lawyer, his job was to overcome jurors’ biases and help them focus on facts. That same mindset — studying human behavior and shaping experiences — drives his work today. Bella calls him a professional storyteller who can recreate a story anywhere in the world. Joey agrees, saying storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest traditions. From the days around the fire to modern digital tools, stories remain how we learn, decide, and connect. Bella mentions that she’s studying storytelling herself and encourages listeners to ask, “Am I telling a story or just talking at people?” She then transitions into the First 100 Days philosophy. Joey explains that it’s a methodology developed over a decade that focuses on creating remarkable experiences during the first 100 days after a customer decides to work with you. If you succeed in those 100 days, you’ll have a customer for life. If not, they’ll likely leave. The goal is to connect deeply and emotionally early on, reinforcing their decision and showing that they matter. Most businesses, he says, are too focused on numbers — customers, growth, payroll — and forget that the core is emotion. The best stories hit at an emotional level. He uses Star Wars as an example: the plot facts are boring, but the characters’ emotional journeys are what make it powerful. The same is true for business. A dog walking company, for instance, isn’t just walking dogs. It’s providing emotional relief — guilt-free care for pet owners who love their pets but lack time. That guilt and emotional burden are real, and dog walkers must constantly reassure clients that it’s okay — that their dogs are loved and cared for. Bella points out that many in the industry struggle with apps and tech companies undercutting prices. She asks if storytelling and customer care can increase perceived value. Joey says absolutely. Price only matters when customers have no other criteria to judge you by. If someone can beat you on price, it’s because you haven’t given them enough emotional or experiential value. He explains that dog walking itself is a commodity — anyone can do it. What makes it special is how you do it. He suggests sending clients random but regular updates — photos, videos, or texts about their dogs. It keeps them emotionally connected. He warns against being predictable (“Every day at 10 a.m. a photo”) — instead, surprise them. He also recommends thoughtful gifts. If you earn $500 a month from a client, set aside $20 for gifting. Maybe give a new leash, toy, or at the one-year mark, a framed photo of their dog from a pet photographer. The goal is to create emotional moments clients will never forget. Bella loves that and emphasizes the importance of systems — recording birthdays, scheduling follow-ups, automating reminders. Joey agrees, saying ink fades slower than memory — so write it down. Add personal questions like the dog’s birthday to intake forms, but don’t ask for info you won’t use. And stop giving coupons as “gifts” — those are benefits for you, not the customer. Bella then asks how to apply this specifically to the first 100 days. Joey says start by thanking them.