The Brand Factory's Branding Blog

How to exceed client expectations

Justin Cooper Added 4 months ago

We kicked this topic around in our business forum (Business Masterminds) today. There were two schools of thought – one that you need to give your clients something they didn’t expect, and the other that all you really need to do is deliver exactly what you promised.

Let’s take the first approach. The logical argument behind this is that it adds extra value that the client wasn’t expecting. The ‘emotional’ benefit is that the client feels special. It’s like a random act of kindness – you feel good at giving it, and the client feels good about receiving it. The trick is to find something that’s a very small incremental cost - in terms of time and money, and one that’s appreciated by the customer. One example we discussed was the complementary car windscreen wash with personal note attached, that was provided by a hotel on the morning of checkout. Very low cost – but potentially high impact. Another is the hotel that greets you by your first name and thanks you for returning – even though your last visit was 5 years earlier.

As for the second approach this is all about being clear on what you do and communicating that to the client. That may sound obvious, by it’s all about perception. So many times the client was expecting something slightly different to what was provided. By ensuring your customer understands exactly what you are going to give them, and then delivering exactly what you said you would – you prove to them you can be trusted. Clearly the more unique your product or service the more effective this approach. However in the case of the hotel, if you provide an amazing experience the first time, then repeat this on the client’s return - you’ll probably create a very loyal customer who tells all his friends about your hotel, urging them to stay there when they’re in town.

Of course you can always do both – deliver on your promise, then add a random act of kindness for good measure.

Posted by Justin Cooper at 10:40 am 0 Comments