What Game of Thrones Taught Us About Customer Service

 
Game of Thrones was a cultural phenomenon. It attracted and energized people from all over the world who fully invested in the show’s dramatic story line, extraordinary writing, riveting characters and fantastic actors.
 
For seven years it built and captivated its huge audience with world-class engagement. And then came season eight.
 
The media industry has never seen anything quite like it. The drop off in storyline, character development and writing were the topic of criticism around the world. People wondered how such a hard won, beautiful journey could fall off so abruptly.
 
What happened?
 
To me, the answer was an age-old challenge in sales . . . the producers forgot about their customers.
 
After seven years of high performance, the company decided it could ride it’s hard won momentum and deliver a slightly diluted product/service . . . as if their customers would not notice.
 
But . . . customers ALWAYS NOTICE, that is why a great restaurant can lose its patrons so quickly, or an automobile can fall in popularity so fast.
 
It is also a lesson about incentives. The producers did not really care about losing customers going into the next season since this was the grand finale, but that is a topic in and of itself.
 
So, Game of Thrones broke the emotional pact it had developed with its customers. Years of character development were extinguished in short scenes. Storylines were interrupted with unsatisfying and abrupt conclusions. There even seems to be evidence of sloppiness on the sets with viral pictures of coffee cups, water bottles, etc.
 
We all know how challenging sales is as a corporate function and as a personal profession. Of course, it is the ultimate achievement when we break through and begin to build market share and win over customers.
 
The lesson here is that it does not stop there. We have to keep winning them over again and again and again.
 
There is no “cruise control” in sales and customer service. Our “Game of Thrones” never ends!