A great example of a highly effective, highly customized, recurring touchpoint for celebration is “Pop,” created by Right Selection. That’s a Dubai company that organizes seminars and training programs and distributes great books. As Gautam, the general manager at Right Selection explains:
“At the beginning of each month, we distribute little bags with six colorful, uninflated balloons to each staff member in the office. Any time any staff member receives some kind of good news, whether that news comes from a face-to-face meeting, over the phone, via fax, in an e-mail or text message, or by any other medium – the staff member blows up the balloon and pops it. Of course, the loud bang attracts everyone’s attention, so suddenly there’s an impromptu gathering. Everyone wants to know what the good news is. The reason for the POP! spreads quickly throughout the office. The first person to POP! all six balloons each month wins dinner for two at a nice restaurant. Then we restart the process the next month with six new balloons and another free dinner to be won.”

This celebration creates a lot of anticipation for good news, followed by plenty of excitement and communication each time someone pops a new balloon. The ritual is low-cost, easy to understand, and easy to customize to just about any working environment. In Right Selection’s case, Gautam quantifies “good news” to mean one or more of the following things:
– A verbal agreement on a sale of a certain minimum amount
– A confirmed contract finalizing a sale
– A client calling to say “Thank you” for spectacular service
– Registration of a large group
– Confirmation of event sponsors
– And so on.
Gautam reports that his team has been popping quite a few balloons lately. This touchpoint passes one of the most important tests: It is self-reinforcing. It creates excitement and engagement every time it occurs. Every team member is eager to discuss the latest good news and eager to create more frequent positive results.
Pop! Another winner!