What do you expect when you do business with someone? You expect good service and good value, right? You expect to be treated fairly and honestly, and you expect to go away feeling good about the transaction.

Think about that for a second. Maybe that's NOT what you expect after all. Yes, that's what we all WANT, but it isn't necessarily what we expect. Why is that? Why is it that we don't necessarily expect to get what we want to get?

I maintain that the businesses we deal with shape our expectations in many different ways. If it is an online business, the website design gives us a clue as to what we can anticipate. If there are garish headlines, obnoxious colors, outrageous claims, etc. we get the feeling that we had better be careful.

If we are talking about a brick-and-mortar business (you remember those… they used to be called "stores") our expectations are formed by cleanliness, orderliness, lighting, and smell. The employees' attitude and grooming make a big impression as well.

I'm not saying that we should be forming expectations based on these somewhat superficial clues. In a perfect world, we would anticipate our transaction based solely on the value and quality of the goods and/or services offered. But it's not a perfect world, so we go into most transactions with some sort of anticipation based on how we feel about the business due to these external clues.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: things tend to happen the way we expect them to happen, and I believe strongly that we will do things subconsciously to make sure of it. That means that if our expectations are low, we probably won't have a very good experience and won't be back.

Now turn it around. What do YOUR customers expect when they come to do business with YOU?

If your website is bright, cheery, and happy, you raise the expectations of your visitors. It their expectations are high, they will LOOK for things to support that expectation. If your store is clean, well lit, and creates a mood of competence and confidence, your customers will feel good about it before they even get completely through the door. They will expect to have a good experience, and they probably will.

Think of it as a strategy to get your customers working for you, putting their own energy into the success of your relationship. If they expect a good experience, they will help you give it to them.

What can you do, then, to get them to expect the best? Turn it around again… what is it that others do that raise your own expectations? It is true that what works for you won't necessarily work for others, but on the other hand you will not please everyone no matter what you do. So make an environment that is 'you' and who you are, and your own comfort level will shine through and enable you to be your very best.

And when you are your best, you're already raising their expectations and setting the stage for a good experience for everyone.