If there is one thing that makes us tick at T3, it’s listening to our clients’ customers.

I had a remarkable opportunity last week to sit down over breakfast with some farmers in upstate New York and talk. The coffee was pouring, plates clanking, eggs and pancakes flying everywhere. About as far as you can get from your traditional focus group.

But these people were totally comfortable talking about a brand they loved. They told stories, pulled out pictures and laughed with each other. We heard about their gardens, pets, kids and grandkids.

They told us what we were doing right (a lot!) and what we were doing wrong.

You could almost touch the work ethic in the room.

And when it was over, most of them came up to us and shook our hands and told us how much they appreciated us coming out and asking their opinion. And they said they enjoyed visiting with each other and hoped we would ask them to come back sometime.

We have all the high-tech listening platforms you would expect. But there is nothing better than talking face to face over a plate of chopped ham and eggs.

We got real insight. And we made some friends.

Listening is good.

As marketers, we talk a lot about digital experiences and how to make them better for consumers. I totally agree that these conversations are valid and that digital is now at the center of successful marketing programs. However, I often wonder about the lack of attention given to in-store experiences. And as a consumer, I am quick to notice and applaud those businesses doing it right.

Last night I stopped at Whole Foods Market at 9:30 p.m. (30 minutes before the store closes). To be honest, I was tired from a long day and not in the brightest mood. Having yet to eat dinner, I was thrilled to find my favorite salmon and sweet potatoes still fresh on the grill. I went on to produce and picked up some great tips from an employee about picking peaches. Not to mention that the produce was perfectly displayed and, as usual, no digging required to find just the right selection.

Since the experience was so pleasant, I picked up a few more items than planned. At checkout, I reminisced with the cashier about his pair of heart sunglasses that were strikingly similar to my favorite from childhood. I received compliments on my reusable grocery bag’s design, and got into an interesting conversation with employees about similar products.

I headed home more relaxed than before my shopping stop. Every day consumers interact with brands, up close and personal. The experiences they come away with shape their purchase decisions for years to come. We often hear brands talk about their hope of providing a 360-degree experience, where every touchpoint is consistent and excellent. As marketers, we have the chance to help consumers with maybe 180 of those degrees. It’s refreshing to be reminded of the power of the other 180 that make up the purchase experience.

Bad news generally trumps good news, right? Not so fast, says a recent Forrester Research report, “How customer experience drives word of mouth.”

According to the report, which surveyed 4,500 customers online across 12 industries, more people talk about good experiences than bad ones. Surprise, surprise.

Not so surprising: bad news is discussed more frequently than the good stuff.

The prevalence for good news isn’t across the board. In four of the 12 industries—credit card providers, health insurance plans, and TV and Internet service providers — bad news ruled. The most positive customers were from retail, banks and hotels.

Who’s talking? Gen Yers have the most good things to say — and the most bad — according to the report. Younger boomers are the least likely to say good things, while seniors aren’t likely to talk about bad experiences, except with regard to health plans.

So the good news is that people are talking about good news. The bad news is that people tell more people about bad experiences.

What’s it mean? To marketers, clear generational differences in the bent and frequency of messaging — who says what about what — should be top of mind moving forward.

If you’re in an industry that tends to generate passionate feedback from an age group that doesn’t mind spreading that news — let’s say Gen Yers and retail — you need to be paying attention and planning how to react to the commentary. A teen Facebook page that we developed for a major retail client takes a proactive approach that’s been quite successful. The client monitors commentary from its nearly 8,000 fans and jumps in to clarify discussions, reinforce trends and announce special offers.

Likewise, if you’re operating in an industry that typically generates positive feedback from Gen X and Gen Y types, using social media to amplify those voices can pay huge dividends.

What’s important to understand is that word-of-mouth feedback can’t be stopped. Furthermore, you’d be foolish to try stopping it. However, you can and should set your sights on monitoring it, understanding it and steering it with an ever-so-subtle hand. Your brand will love you for the effort.