As a web agency, we thrive on repeat business. We work hard to provide exceptional value to our clients so that they keep coming back to us for future needs, and it’s served us well over the past 16 years.
However, as Simon Sinek points out in his book “Start With Why“, true loyalty is far better than simply having repeat business. From the book:
“There is a big difference between repeat business and loyalty. Repeat business is when people do business with you multiple times. Loyalty is when people are willing to turn down a better product or a better price to continue doing business with you.”
In looking at our clients through that lens, I can certainly see the difference between those two ideas. We have a lot of clients that are happy to come back to us again and again, but there are a few that come back to us no matter what.
The key difference is in making raving fans, as I shared last year. From the book “Raving Fans“, it’s a matter of exceeding expectations:
“Blanchard and Bowles argue that there’s a clear distinction between satisfying your customers and exceeding the expectations of your customers. If you merely seek to satisfy your customers, they’ll only stay with you as long as you’re not worse than the competition. However, if you invest in the customer service experience to exceed expectations and build trust, your customers will be so impressed and happy that they’ll willingly contribute to your success.”
Satisfying your customers is essential, but exceeding their expectations is how they’ll become truly loyal. How do you work to exceed the expectations of those you serve?
