Yesterday evening I was invited to present end of year and exam certificates to students at a local school. I was absolutely thrilled to do this particularly as I have been involved in helping many of the business students over the last couple of years.

The academic achievements were fantastic. And whilst most students matched my expectations, two students really surprised me.

The first one came on stage to rapturous applause from his classmates. I was intrigued and asked him, How come youre so popular?

Do you want to see my dance?

Okay, I said. Not knowing what to expect.

He then launched into an incredible routine. Id describe it as a form of break dancing but I dont profess to be an expert on these things. It lasted about 10 seconds and received huge applause from all 300 parents and students in the audience.

The second student to surprise me, did so in a very different way.

This young lady was dressed in a long black leather coat and black leather boots. She wore a black hat with a black lace veil drawn over her face. Behind the veil, black make up around her eyes and mouth gave her a vampire like appearance

I greeted this gothic student in exactly the same way that I had all the others. We chatted about her exam success and had a photo taken.

After the presentation of certificates, all of the guests were invited to have refreshments in an adjoining room. As I entered this room the dancer was there waiting for me. He told me about his dancing and the band that he plays for. He promised to send me a demo tape.

No sooner had we finished talking and the gothic lady came across to me. She complimented me on my speech and we chatted about her plans for the future. She is going to train as a counsellor to prison inmates. Having been through some tough times herself, she now has a clear vision of what she wants to do.

These two students both seemed to be looking for reassurance from me. I couldnt help thinking that they might get reprimanded by the school for their behaviour and appearance. If they do, I hope that their spirit is not dampened.

To be successful we do have to be different and we have to be brave. My message to these students is that if you dont get your knuckles rapped once in a while, youre just not trying hard enough.

Delivering great customer service means doing something different.

So how about your business? Do you always take the safe approach or are you really doing something different? Would you be brave enough to dance in front of 300 people? Are you brave enough to really give your customers something special?