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"We did all of that... for a piece of plastic?"
That was my nine-year-old, Dash, back in the motorhome after a long day at the Oshkosh airshow, holding the prize he had spent two plus hours of our precious AirVenture time earning.
Here's how he earned it.
One of the big airplane companies, which shall remain nameless, ran a scavenger hunt they called a passport. Collect SIX stamps from six partner booths spread ALLLL over the airshow grounds, learn about each partner's products, and bring the book back to their tent for your special prize.
Ed and Dash did the whole thing. Two plus hours of walking on already-tired feet, and every stamp earned.
The prize was a small blue plastic ball. It doesn't bounce. It doesn't squish. It doesn't do anything. Dash was polite about it at the booth and saved his review for us.
The interesting part here is that the passport itself was lovely. Thick, well printed, clearly not cheap. My marketing brain did the math before I could stop it. Printing those books probably cost waaaay more than the balls did. So they had the budget. They spent it on the part that walked Dash and Ed to all six partner booths, and almost nothing on the part that was for them as a thank you.
You can tell when a business is faking care. You can tell when a person is, too. And you can see it in where they put their effort.
Everyone puts effort into the parts that pay them back. The pitch, the proposal, the first meeting, the thing the boss is watching. That proves very little, because anyone with something to gain will do it.
Care shows up in the parts where there's nothing in it for you. The thank-you at the end. The follow-up after the sale. The handoff to the next person. The coworker you could help but don't have to. People notice those parts. A nine-year-old noticed in about four seconds.
Most of us slip in the same place the booth did. When we're busy, we put our effort into the work someone is checking, and the small things for the other person get rushed or skipped. But the small things are what people remember. They're how someone decides whether you meant it.
By the end of the night, Dash decided the day was worth it anyway, because he spent it with his dad. In his words: "Spending the time with dad and a root beer float is way better than that piece of poop." That part was Ed's doing.
Dash didn't tell the booth what he thought. He took the ball, said thank you, and walked away. Most people do the same. They won't tell you what they noticed. They just don't come back.
Where does your effort go when no one is checking?
I'm always rooting for you. See you next week.
-Colleen
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