What if your next client really was Julia Roberts?
That’s the question Geoff Ramm, createor of “Celebirty Service” loves to ask. Not because you’re likely to have Hollywood royalty booking a strategy session in Liverpool… but because of what it reveals.
Most businesses sit at a 7 or 8 out of 10 on service.
Good. Polite. Competent.
Emails get answered. Work gets done. Nobody complains too much.
But here’s the problem:
No one talks about a 7 out of 10 experience.
They talk about the Uber driver who went out of their way.
The hotel that left something personal in the room.
The tiny shop that remembered their name and favourite order.
Those are the “You won’t believe this…” stories.
The experts call this Celebrity Service, treating every customer as if they were your biggest, most high-profile VIP. Not with gimmicks. Not with balloons and cheesy scripts. But with genuine attention, creativity, and care.
Let’s break that down into 5 key principles, and how you can start doing this in your own business; whether you run a law firm, agency, clinic, shop, or consultancy.
Key Principle #1: Stop Aiming for “Good” Service – Aim for “You Won’t Believe This”
Most teams, if you ask them, will say their service is “pretty good.”
Geoff has asked this all over the world – the average answer is about an 8 out of 10. Good… but forgettable.
The shift to Celebrity Service starts with a simple question:
“If this client was your dream celebrity, what would you do differently?”
You instantly stop thinking about the minimum. Next, You stop thinking about the process. Then you start thinking about the experience.
Key Principle #1 Case Study: Moneypenny’s “We’ve Got You” Experience
Moneypenny, the UK-based outsourced reception and PA service, built its reputation by acting like a true extension of the client’s team, not a faceless call centre. Their receptionists are trained to know the client’s business inside out – tone, quirks, common questions – so callers feel like they’re talking to someone in the office, not an external service.
For a stressed business owner, that level of care turns a routine call into a “they genuinely get us” moment. It’s not about scripts – it’s about thinking, “What would we do if this caller was the most important person we’ll speak to today?”
- Ask your team: “On a scale of 1–10, where’s our service really at?”
- Then ask: “What would it look like if every client was a 10/10 VIP?”
- Pick one small upgrade you could add this week – extra context in your emails, a personalised intro call, a better welcome process.
You don’t need Hollywood clients to deliver Hollywood-level service.
Key Principle #2: Obsess Over the Little Details (That Cost Pennies but Feel Like Millions)
Most “wow” moments aren’t expensive. They’re thoughtful.
Experts in this field talk about small, unexpected gestures, handwritten notes, tailored gifts, tiny touches that show you’ve actually paid attention. When these land well, they create stories people repeat for years.
Key Principle #2 Case Study: John Lewis & Partners – Still Known for Service
Despite all the changes in retail, John Lewis & Partners still comes up again and again when people talk about service. Why? It’s rarely about huge, flashy gestures. It’s the details:
- Staff walking customers to the right aisle instead of pointing
- No-quibble returns that feel fair and easy
- Repair and support that goes beyond “policy says…”
These small behaviours stack up. It feels like someone sat down and thought, “What would make this effortless and reassuring for the customer?”
- Map out one customer journey – from enquiry to delivery
- Circle three points where you could add a small, thoughtful touch
- A personalised video reply to a new enquiry
- A short Loom walkthrough instead of a dry PDF
- A handwritten card with a first order or project completion
Ask yourself: “If a celebrity experienced this, would they tell the story?”
If not, tweak it until the answer is yes.
Key Principle #3: Turn Every Touchpoint into a Story People Want to Share
Celebrity Service isn’t about being over-the-top all the time. It’s about creating moments worth talking about.
Try this simple 120-second challenge: give people two minutes and ask, “How could we make this touchpoint unforgettable?” Teams are always amazed at what they come up with in such a short time.
Key Principle #3 Case Study: EC English and the “Orange Carpet”
The EC English Language Centres took the idea of Celebrity Service and created the “Orange Carpet Experience” for students arriving at their schools; a branded, warm, high-energy welcome that made people feel like VIPs the moment they walked in. It helped them win recognition at the UK Customer Experience Awards.
It didn’t change the product, they still teach English.
But it completely changed how the experience felt.
Pick one moment:
- The first time someone walks into your office
- The day a client signs their agreement
- The delivery of the first big result
Then ask your team:
“If this was our dream celebrity client, what would we do in the next 120 seconds to make this unforgettable?”
Set a timer. Capture the ideas. Implement one.
You don’t need an away day. You need two focused minutes and permission to think bigger.
Key Principle #4: Make Your People the Stars (Culture Before Scripts)
You can’t fake Celebrity Service with a script. It has to come from people who are trusted to care, think, and act.
If you want customers to feel like celebrities, start by treating your team that way. When your people feel valued, they naturally pass that on.
Key Principle #4 Case Study: SpecSavers – Empowered Teams, Not Just Offers
SpecSavers is known for deals and ads, but behind that is a service culture where staff are encouraged to take time with customers, explain options clearly, and go the extra mile, especially with older or nervous patients. That culture of care is one reason they’re trusted on the high street and have remained a go-to brand for eye health and hearing. It’s not “Say this line.” It’s: “Look after them properly.”
- Ask your team: “Where do our systems stop you from doing something brilliant for a customer?”
- Remove one rule, script, or constraint that’s getting in the way of real service
- Celebrate real stories of great service internally – start meetings with, “Who created a ‘celebrity moment’ this week?”
The more you empower your people, the more natural Celebrity Service becomes.
Key Principle #5: Close the Service Gap Your Competitors Can’t Reach
Most competitors in your space will sound the same:
“We care about our customers.”
>“We go the extra mile.”
>“We pride ourselves on service.”
If everyone’s saying it, it’s not a differentiator.
Beyond that, offering Celebrity Service gives you something else: a service gap so wide that even if your competitors copied your website, prices, and offers, they still couldn’t match how it feels to work with you.
Key Principle #5 Case Study: Luscombe Motors and the 120-Second Exercise
Luscombe Motors in Leeds, ran this 120-second challenge with the team. Here’s where it gets interesting…They had to dream up ideas for a fictional ice cream parlour and show how quickly they could think differently when given permission. The point? If they could invent that much in two minutes for a business they didn’t know, what could they create for their own customers?
That mindset of constantly asking, “How could we raise this from an 8 to a 10?” – is what creates the service gap.
- List your top 5 clients
- For each one, ask: “If they were a celebrity, what’s one thing we could do for them in the next 30 days that would blow them away?”
- Don’t overthink it. Pick something and do it.
You’ll start to see a different level of loyalty, referrals, and “you won’t believe what they did for us” stories.
Take Action
Here’s the thing: you already know service matters.
The challenge is making it a habit, not just a nice idea after watching a great interview.
Here’s the real shift: If this has sparked ideas, or made you realise your service is stuck at a safe 7 or 8 – now’s a good time to do something about it.
Book a Clarity Call with me, we’ll jump on a zoom call, map out your current client experience, and identify where you can create that “service gap” your competitors can’t touch.
No hard sell. Just an honest look at where you are now – and what a 10 out of 10 could look like for your customers.
Because your next client might not be Julia Roberts.
Our Events
Come and spend a few hours with other ambitious business owners, learn how to build your own version of Celebrity Service, and walk away with ideas you can use the very next day.
In our monthly business growth MasterCLASSes and 90-Day Planning workshops, which are part of our Entrepreneurship Academy and 1-2-1 Business Coaching Programmes here in Liverpool, we help owners and their teams:
- Turn concepts like Celebrity Service into concrete behaviours
- Build simple customer journeys that create “wow” moments on purpose
- Get everyone aligned around what 10/10 service really looks like for your business
No fluff. No “customer service training” that everyone forgets in a week.
Just real conversations, practical tools, and accountability.
