A few days ago — in suburban Copenhagen of all places — I went to a barber to have what’s left of my hair cut.

There isn’t much raw material to work with so you'd think options to impress are somewhat limited. That said, one thing they always have to do is take my glasses off first — a seemingly insignificant interaction — but as I wrote recently, these kinds of tasks are where the opportunities lay. Case in point:

At the end of the proceedings the barber said, “One last thing!” Gave my glasses a very thorough polish, then handed them back to me with a smile.

It reminded me of another occasion, when I was having breakfast at a hotel. After seating me, the waiter quickly replaced the pristine white cloth napkin with a dark blue one to match the colour of my trousers.

In both situations, my memory of these experiences is dominated by these minor, discretionary details — the flourishes — which cost almost nothing to execute yet stand out; doing more to influence perceptions of quality and care than anything else.

If these opportunities exist when cutting a bald person’s hair or seating someone at a restaurant, they exist for every business.

Try to find and implement one simple, inexpensive flourish this year. It's a guaranteed win:win for you and your customers.

See this post on LinkedIn