Instead of B2C or B2B, think about H2H: human to human interactions.
Every business is comprised of humans.
The first chapter of the book deals with creating a remarkable customer experience. It compares the traditional dentist office experience with filling out the forms with a chewed up ballpoint pen versus quick and effective mobile forms that are compatible with your cell phone, follow up calls two hours, 24 hours, and seven days after procedure, etc.
Companies spend exorbitant amounts to acquire new customers but are hemorrhaging customers at a staggering amount.
Why is that? Because they are more excited about the chase, rather than the catch.
Customer retention is low cost and high profitability!
Customer service is reactive, customer experience is proactive.
The phases of the customer journey:
- Assess
- Admit
- Affirm
- Activate
- Acclimate
- Accomplish
- Adopt
- Advocate
Video and unscripted impromptu handheld video is more likely to reach and be heard by your customer then a full-service design video.
When giving gifts, think of what you would get your brother-in-law or a family member and give the same type of gift to your customers. A branded mug or koozie is just a marketing tool. Send a personalized gift.
The assess phase can be described as the traditional sales and marketing phase. The customer literally decides what are they want to use your product or service. And the handoff from sales and marketing the customer retention and service is usually pretty poor. Do your homework about your perspective and current clients, if you can find one small detail that wows them, like buying them a special type of beverage your client likes, you can win the business.
- Think build-a-bear experience
Admit phase:
Think about the customer’s experience and try to give unexpected delight that almost always has nothing to do with your service or product.
Add a ritual or initiation for new customers going from one state to the next step, much like wrapping them in green cellophane or singing karaoke (as described in the book).
Affirm phase:
Introduce “Bob” before the wedding day, not on the wedding night. “Bob” being the crazy uncle who spent 10 years in prison and just got out.
This happens all the time with sales managers and account managers. Make the transition smooth when gong from the sales guy to the account executive handoff stage.
To avoid Buyer’s Remorse, send out customized video reaffirming your customer’s purchase or send them a personalized story.
Confirm the purchase as quickly as possible. Make any touchpoint remarkable. Think about ways to avoid and deter buyer’s remorse.
Activate phase:
This happens after the sale and is the first true impression the client has with your product or service. Think pre-charged apple iPods right out of the box. Paint the client a picture of what is going to be like to work with you. Surprise and delight.
How can you make your emails and other touchpoints more exciting and engaging?
Acclimate phase:
This is the phase work you help your customers settled into a new reality. The author gives his guests at his house a glass of water to drink to acclimate to the Denver Colorado altitude.
People do want to know how the sausage is made, so show them how and keep them informed every step along the way so that they are engaged.
Literally map out the entire process from the Assess phase all the way to the final follow up.
Accomplish phase:
Celebrate with the client once they’ve achieved their desired result or goal. A sale is not a sale until the customer has gotten results.
Your client survey should be fun. Nobody likes to fill out a boring survey or just rate somebody five stars. Instead, have them on a scale of 1 to 5 using movie quotes as the descriptors. Like “you complete me” to “say hello to my little friend.”
Only after you have given your clients a ton of value, should you ask for testimonials.
Adopt phase:
Think of how Lady Gaga “adopts” 1% of her most loyal fans, calls them “Little Monsters, and calls them backstage for gifts or drinks.
Don’t be afraid to give your top customers a limited edition gift that can’t be bought anywhere else. Through their social media, you can find out what their likes and dislikes are for the past six months
Advocate phase:
Give your customers the necessary tools to refer more customers to you.
Don’t ask for referrals too soon, or you could destroy the customer relationship.
Specifically, guide your customers on how to give a testimonial. Don’t just send an email, say that we’ve been working together and a very long time and we really enjoy it would you be willing to provide some feedback. Go ahead and draft a testimonial for them and allow them to edit as necessary.
Go above and beyond to give your most loyal customers experiences or gifts they would not have access to otherwise.
How to implement the steps:
- Investigate – use social media to find out the likes of every one of your customers (LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest)
- Observe
- Personalize
- Surprise
Your gift doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be thoughtful and personalized. Avoid giving a gift card to national retail chains for Christmas presents.
Create an artifact, which is something that maintains value and stays in the gift receiver’s family for years to come. Think of giving the gift to the whole family including the spouse and kids.
Giving gifts to your customer’s assistant or team members can also make you look like a hero.
Eliminate your logo, your tagline, or anything about you when giving a gift.
