on just want to try someone else.”
Why did my client’s customer leave his business? To give another business a try and see what else is out there. To my client’s customer, his business looked the same as everyone else. Yes my client did deliver on his promise to satisfy the customer. What he failed to do was differentiate his business in a way that created an emotional connection with this customer. When I asked my client to tell me more about the relationship he had with this customer, I discovered that this customer was never contacted or sent a thank you note for years. He unfortunately assumed that because he was delivering good service and the customer never complained that his client was satisfied and would be loyal. Satisfied yes! Loyal not so much. The customer probably left because they did not feel appreciated or respected. My client neglected to touch the customer’s emotions.
Today, focusing just on customer satisfaction will no longer result in customer loyalty and give you a competitive edge. In the eyes of your customers, every product or service looks the same. When that happens your product, service or business is just a commodity and your customer is most likely to try someone else or make a decision based solely on a competitor’s lower price.
Perhaps you may have a unique product or service. The question I would ask you is, how long do you think that will last until some other business down the road, in your community or on the internet matches what you have or convinces your customers that theirs is better?
Your front line staff, account representatives, sales people and leaders are the most connected to your customers and the customer experience. This is where the rubber meets the road and why they are the ones who have an opportunity to build and create unique and enduring emotional connections with their customers and clients. It is how Disney creates such loyalty.
It is also the reason why I am so passionate and focused when I speak at events, conduct training programs or spend so much time with my coaching clients and their teams to show them how they can create that same Disney-like culture and emotional connection in their business or organization too! If you want to create long-term revenues, profit streams and a successful business, focus on building relationships. tapping into your customer’s emotions and take real action on a regular basis to show that you truly care and appreciate their business. Now that would be MAGICAL!