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It’s often said, your life is most influenced by the people you meet and the books you read. Well, it’s a double dose of delight, when a person you meet, is also an author!

In the summer of 2005, while attending the National Speakers Association convention, I had the good fortune during lunch, to sit next to Donna Cutting.

As a speaker, author and star maker, Donna knows all about helping you and your team earn standing ovations from your customers. Her new book, “The Celebrity Experience — Insider Secrets to Delivering Red-Carpet Customer Service”

is a showstopper!

So fire-up the klieg lights, lay the red carpet and cue the stars. It’s show time!

Jeff Blackman: What is the celebrity experience?

Donna Cutting: It’s the “extreme makeover” of customer service. The term “red-carpet customer service” has become a buzz phrase in the business world. Everyone claims to give it, yet few feel they’ve received it. So, I went straight to the source. I interviewed people who provide services to Hollywood and sports celebrities, asking them what it took to earn and keep the business of those who expect and are used to getting the best. Armed with that information, I set out to find organizations and people who deliver that level of service to everyday people who aren’t famous and in effect... give them a celebrity experience.

JB: Who delivers it?

DC: High Point University in North Carolina really impressed me! While providing an excellent education is their top priority, the team at HPU also has a passion for providing a unique customer experience for their students. Prospective students are directed to reserved parking spaces with their name, greeted by name by a staff member whose sole job... is to make them feel comfortable, and are surprised to see their name again on a welcome screen when they walk into one of the buildings.

Their tour guide drives them around campus in a golf cart. And only two families are included on a tour, so there’s more personalized attention. Compare that to other universities where you walk the campus with several families.

When the student enrolls in HPU, and arrives to move into a dorm, parents stay in the car. There’s a team of faculty, staff and students ready to unload boxes and help new freshmen move in.

High Point University even employs a “Director of WOW!” whose job is to ensure students, parents and visitors are blown away with the level of service they receive on campus.

Here’s another example. The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention center has a Celebrity Services Department.

It’s a team of people who work with meeting professionals or planners holding events at the hotel. The meeting planner determines who in their group, they’d like to honor as “celebrities.” The Celebrity Services team goes all-out to give them the “star” treatment... complete with a limo ride, a red carpet, gratuitous gifts (or swag) in their room, and a personal concierge.

I even found a plumbing company that gives celebrity service: HUB Plumbing and Mechanical of Boston. There, you can reach a live person on the phone 24 hours a day.

Employees are so well trained, they’ll answer your questions before you ask.

Prior to your plumber’s visit, you’ll receive an e-mail from your plumber, which includes his photo and some professional and personal information about him too.

HUB CEO, John Wood feels this gives new customers a sense of security about the stranger coming into their home. All HUB plumbers dress in clean, bright red uniforms, wear booties to protect your carpet, and literally roll down red carpets to place their tools on.

JB: So how can these strategies be adapted for any business?

DC: Here are three simple ways to deliver a “celebrity experience”...

1. Think “yes!” The difference between Hollywood celebrities and the rest of us, is for the celebrity, whatever the question, the answer is “Yes!” Then everyone around them figures out the “how.” Too often, the rest of us hear “No.” — “No, I can’t help you because of our policy.” — “No, it’s not my job.” — “No, you can’t talk to a real person on the phone.” What if you took a look at where you tell your customers “no” and instead found creative ways to say “yes.” Nido Qubein, President of High Point University, calls it, “Removing the UN-Wows” from your customer’s experience. Do that, and you’re on your way to red-carpet service.

2. Have an “and then some” mindset. This year, hardly anyone tuned in to the Golden Globes, because of the writers strike. Plus, something else was missing. While there were awards, there was no red carpet, no celebrity interviews, no glitz, no glamour, and no real experience.

Think about your business the same way. Perhaps you have a fabulous product or service. However, it’s the “and then some” that makes people feel special.

There’s an auto mechanic in St. Petersburg, Florida who not only fixes your car, but will wash and detail it inside and out, before she returns it to you. That’s “and then some.”

3. Be unforgettable. Do the one thing for your customers... your competitors won’t. When prospective students tour High Point University, they’re taken to the office of University President, Nido Qubein. If he’s in, he’ll come out and chat with visitors. He’ll often bet his guests a dollar they won’t meet another University President at the other campuses they visit. Qubein’s desk drawer is filled with dollar bills. Create memorable moments like that for your customers and they’ll come back for more.

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Jeff Blackman is a speaker, author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer who lives part-time on Marco Island. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.” Send an e-mail to jeff@jeffblackman.com or go to www.jeffblackman.com to subscribe to his free e-letter.