08.08.19
Loyalty Isn’t Painful
It’s Almost Too Easy.
In any market of lookalike competitors (that’s gotta be redundant), which business gets the most repeat purchases from customers? The one that works the hardest, brings great stuff to market, has the best prices and always does right by people? Ha. The one customers like the most gets the nod every time. Businesses that make obvious efforts to delight customers – in ways their competitors don’t — reap the most sacred of rewards, loyalty. And don’t need to resort to low price to compete. It’s that simple.
Loyalty isn’t dead, despite the back-assward attempts of the global business community to kill it. That’s good news, because while your competitors are giving it lip service, you should be taking full advantage of the gift they’re handing you and start dominating them.
Here’s my bulletproof definition of loyalty: We humans reflexively return to any source of delight in our lives until it fails to delight us. We’re programmed that way (ask any 14 year-old social media addict).
Notice I didn’t say we always return to whoever offers us the best prices. Or performs consistently. Or provides us with “frequent buyer” discounts. Yawn.
Those who think that loyalty is dead or impossible to achieve don’t understand what makes our species tick. Nor do they understand that ridiculously simple law of the business jungle, mentioned up top: When all things are equal (product, price, etc.) prospective customers always choose the business they like most. Even if they like one business just a tiny bit more than others, that liked business wins.
Let’s break these down so you start building loyalty at your business.
You’ve read my book (ahem), so you know that unless “building a vocal, loyal customer base” is front and center atop your strategic business processes – and a consistently visible element of everything you do — it ain’t gonna happen. Ever. Right?
Next, remember that humans – that’s us – humanize everything. This explains why any time we think about or talk about a business, we refer to that business using the pronoun “they.” As in, “They’re awesome,” or “They suck.” Which means we don’t think about or talk about businesses based on what they do, but, rather, on who they are. So our associations with businesses are direct reflections of the cultures of those businesses. Clearly, then, if the people we serve or hope to serve know us only for what we do/make/sell, we’re at a distinct disadvantage because everybody’s good at what they do these days. Your competitors aren’t second-rate. It’s crazy to think of how much money and effort businesses waste to promote whatever it is they’re selling when their competitors are selling the same stuff the same way. That means they’re collectively known for what they do, not who they are. Simple.
And here’s a biggie: Because we humanize everything, it’s flat wrong to believe that we can be loyal to products (or services). I used to think people rocking Harley tattoos were professing their loyalty to their machines. I was wrong. But guess what? We most certainly can be loyal to the people behind products (or services). They’re the “they” I just spoke of. Those sources of delight.
Another little quirk of human behavior that your business should be taking advantage of: We’re a joy-seeking species. So we’ll always be drawn to people who give us a little spark of delight. And how do we reward people who delight us? We come back for more. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Look no further than the counter people at your local Chick-Fil-A and that chain’s massive success for all the proof you need. Or a certain motorcycle company. What’s your business doing to delight people?
One more thing. I hope you recognize that the same delight-driven behaviors that create loyalty in the business world also impact your personal competitiveness. You’ve seen it a million times: Who gets promoted among job candidates with similar backgrounds, abilities and work ethic? The person who’s achieved the most, works the hardest and puts in the most hours? Not on your life. The person the boss likes most gets the nod every time. Employees who make obvious efforts to delight and please their higher-ups, rather than simply working hard and doing a great job, reap the most rewards. Pretty simple, no? What’s your boss – and your boss’s boss – saying about you right now? Think about it.