March 28, 2011

DON’T Give Customers What They Expect

Your Brand - Listen to the Conversation 
Brand YOU! 
Don’t Let Marketing Brand Anything

Satisfy customer needs? Most people already have what they need, and to be a Needs Satisfier is a tough assignment. The better mousetrap approach usually leads to offering a lower price. Follow this route and you’re CoMMON, FoRGETTABLE and InVISIBLE.
Meet customer expectations? Where’s the juice in that? I am not blown away when someone gives me what I am expecting. Fall below my expectations and I am annoyed and I leave telling all and sundry how crumby you are. Meet my expectations and I am satisfied but no more than that (how many of you are thrilled when the flight you are on actually arrives at the correct destination?)
Exceed customer expectations? This is at least notionally the right course of action. Go beyond what I expect. Give me MORE of what you led me to believe I was getting and I might Sneeze you to others. But lets tinker with this idea just a little bit…

GIVE CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY DON’T EXPECT?. The Unexpected Strategy is effective in dazzling someone and making them devoted to you.
Here are some considerations:
- know my Secrets. Secrets represent the fuel for the Unexpected. If you knew I loved Italian red wine, you might have the ability to present me with a Caing Gift if the opportunity arose.
- opportunities flourish in any organization to deploy Secrets. Marketing - add a Secret dimension to the Value-Based Offer you create for me. Service - when a service blunder occurs and you have screwed me around, build your Recovery Action Plan around the Secrets you know about me. 
- SURPRISE me and you take my breath away. Product fulfillment - take a page out of Zappos’ book and send me my order ahead of when I was told to expect it.

Cheers,
Roy


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Serving Customers | Permalink
Posted 3.28.11 at 06:00 am by Roy Osing | Read Comments (0) | Leave a Comment