GETTING
AN EDGE
We
are all trying to get a competitive advantage, that little edge that
will make customers want to do business with us instead of someone else.
We know it’s
not enough to deliver good customer service, or meet our customer’s
expectations. We’ve got to do more. We need to delight our customers
if we want to stand out from the crowd. But how do you do that?
One way is to give your customers something extra. Your customers buy your
products or services so they can get the benefits that are built into them.
But benefits come in three levels. First, there are the basic benefits. If
you are dining out, for example, the meal has to taste good, be hot and be
filling. But you are hardly going to delight your customers simply by doing
that. Nobody walked out of a restaurant saying. “Wow! That was a fantastic
meal. The food was even cooked!”
So, we provide support services. The waitress might be able to advise you
about the best wine to drink, the ambience might be cosy and warm, and there
might even be somewhere to park your car. These benefits would please you but
they would hardly knock your socks off. You expect the staff to know a little
about the wines they serve. Most restaurants have a nice décor and many
have off-street parking. No, to be delighted something else has to happen.
All benefits are solutions to problems. You feel hungry. The restaurant serves
food. They have solved your problem. You want to treat your spouse to a nice
night out. The restaurant provides wine and a romantic environment. They have
solved your problem. You need to put your car somewhere. The restaurant provides
parking. They have solved your problem.
Delighters are also solutions to problems, but these are solutions to problems
that your customers would just love you to solve but can’t reasonably
expect that you would. So when you do, you dazzle them. For example, I was
speaking in Canada last week. I went into the restaurant for breakfast and
said I was part of the conference group. The waitress told me that breakfast
for the conference people was being served in another room. “That’s
OK,” I said. “I need to have some quiet time to prepare so I’ll
eat here and pay for it myself.” When I was partway through my breakfast
she came back and told me that she had spoken to her boss and they had decided
not to charge me for the breakfast. I was delighted!
On another occasion, again in Canada, I took a taxi from the airport to the
centre of the city. Along the way, the driver asked me what kind of music I’d
like to listen to on the car radio, gave me three newspapers to read and even
offered me coffee to drink!
It’s these little things that set you apart from the competition. They
show your customers that you are prepared to go out of your way to help them,
and they make your customers feel cared for as a result.
No matter how well you make your basic product or deliver your basic service,
you can expect your competition to be as good. Even providing support services
is not enough in this crowded and competitive market place. Everyone has free
delivery, an 0800 number and financing available. To stand out, you’ll
have to delight your customers and to do that you’ll have to find those
little problems they sure would like to have solved, but can’t really
expect you to solve for them.
Then solve them.
That’s how you get raving fans.
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