“Satisfaction Guaranteed or your Money Refunded” recognise this phrase? It’s one of the first advertising slogans of the modern age. Written in 1869 to promote Eaton’s department store in Toronto, Canada.
At that time, the slogan had a considerable impact. But today, it’s invisible because we’ve seen it a thousand times. We also often question its validity now. After all, satisfaction can be a subjective term. It simply isn’t enough anymore.
Modern customers demand more than satisfaction.
Having satisfied customers is the minimum for your customer service goals and is nothing to brag about or set you apart from your competition.
A satisfied customer was content with your service. They enjoyed your product—end of the story. Next time around, they may remember you or not. You will fall into the category of many satisfying but unmemorable consumer interactions that we all experience dozens of times a day.
If a customer has bought from you once, how do you ensure they return? It’s one of the biggest challenges any business faces, especially in today’s market saturated with choice. There’s a sliding scale for customer feedback and what they say after doing business with you. Here are the five main points:
- Something outstanding
- Something OK
- Nothing
- Something bad
- Something terrible
Unless you’re after notoriety, you want to avoid options 4 and 5. Option 3 is hardly any better. Some people say, “any press is better than no press”. If you want to cultivate customer loyalty and customer return over plain old customer satisfaction, you only want to be hitting option 1. Every. Single. Time. As the service or product provider, you get to choose your reputation. You are in control of the overall experience you provide.
Why do customers choose you?
- Because of you (predominantly, they bought you)
- Word of Mouth advertising (what others say about you)
There is genius in this simple message.
You want your customers to buy from you because of you, not because of the product or service you provide. Customers shouldn’t even think much about your product or service – it should be so good that quality is assumed. What you want them to do is talk about you to lots of other people. You want to inspire the kind of loyalty that inspires Mac users to lampoon PCs, Levis wearers to cut their old jeans into shorts rather than buy a different brand, and Coke drinkers to drive to the store rather than drink water free from their tap. Do you give your customers something to talk about? What actions do you inspire?
What is loyalty and how do you get it?
Loyalty is when a customer does not only do business with you but also tell others how great you are. They will generate more customers.
Absolute customer loyalty helps you build profit because it’s not about price. It’s about an experience. Loyal customers don’t think about the cost. They look forward to what you have on offer and how it will build on their relationship with you.
Why do people pay Nike prices when they can get trainers that are just as good from cheaper stores? Why do people spend more money on designer goods from Chanel or Rolex? It’s because they want that specific brand’s products—no one else.
How much are you investing in growing your customer loyalty?
Customer loyalty pays serious dividends, so it is worth serious investment. By deliberately focusing on this area, you will create an increased sales pipeline, lower the cost of acquisition, and increase your referral business and reputation. Perhaps most importantly, you will acquire testimonials.
Testimonials are crucial. It is a fact that your most profitable customers will inspire word-of-mouth marketing, which is the most cost-effective marketing stream of them all.
The definitive difference between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction is:
Clients will be satisfied with a good product and satisfactory service. It equals a 2 or 3 on the scale we mentioned earlier. They won’t say anything wrong but won’t rave about you, and they’ll typically only talk about you if someone specifically asks about your service.
Customers will be loyal if the product is excellent and the service is exceptional and memorable. It is when they’ll talk about and recommend your business to everyone they know.
What do you do to be memorable? What reasons do you give your customers to talk about you to others? Create an unforgettable experience, and your clients will become your unpaid sales force.
Are you struggling to build your brand?
It’s easy to see that building an exceptional experience is a key to building excellent customer loyalty. What is your plan to create this outstanding experience?
It is where a business coach can provide advice about proven strategies to build customer loyalty, audit your processes and train you to provide excellent customer experiences that help to boost your bottom line.
So what are you waiting for? Ask us how we can help build a fan base for your trades and construction business today.
