Most people are no longer buying products of any kind. 

We live in a world where consumers are seeking to identify not with the product itself, but with the promise that the product makes to them personally.  The product itself does not have to be the best or the cheapest or the most prestigious, in order to make the consumer happy -- so long as it fulfills the promise that it made. 

McDonald’s Corporation has built a mega-billion-dollar business based on fulfilling promises.  I’m guessing McDonald’s executives would agree with me when I say that there are better tasting, higher quality burgers available in the burger-seeking marketplace.  There are even cheaper burgers.  But that’s not what McDonald’s is selling.  McDonald’s is selling a series of promises to their consumers – and their financial success demonstrates that they are making good on those promises. 

It is easy for businesses to focus on the product they sell.  Manufacturers and service providers have been product-centric for hundreds of years.  But customers now seek a promise fulfilled and take the product as the side benefit of receiving that fulfilled promise. 

What unique and distinctive promises are you making to your customers?  Perhaps the answer is “none.”  If so, you’re missing a tremendous opportunity to solidify your company’s viability with today’s promise-centric consumers. 

There are hundreds of possibilities when it comes to selling promises.  Best, fastest, most unique, consistent, fun, best value etc, are just a few of the most recognizable.  But when making a promise to your customer, there are several things to remember. 

·         You must keep the promise.  It’s easy to make a promise, but it is much more difficult to keep it day after day, product after product.  If you don’t have a plan and a system that assures nearly flawless fulfillment of the promise – find a different promise to make.

·         The promise should be customer-focused.  In short, it has to be something that your customer actually cares about.  Remember, the promise is what they are buying.  Sell them something they want.

·         The promise should be distinctive.  Differentiate your product by making a promise that is uncommon in your industry.

·         The promise should be easily associated with your product or your company.  You must communicate effectively to make the link in the mind of your target customer.  Much as you may know what the promise is, if your customer isn’t clear about it you haven’t actually made it.  And if the customer hasn’t “heard” the promise, they certainly can’t buy it.

·         Did I mention that the promise MUST be kept? J

 You can promise more than one thing about your company or product.  If you segment your target customers based on what promise they will want to buy, you can make multiple promises.  For example, McDonalds promises consistency to some of their target customers.  I’ve heard many people traveling abroad say that at some point during their trip they went to McDonalds because they just wanted to know for sure what they were going to get.  For other target customers they promise fast service.  And they’ve spent millions developing systems and technologies to assure that they can make good on this promise for those who choose to buy it.

“What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Professor Albert Mehrabian’s Research at UCLA indicates that only about 7% of our communication is attributed to the words we choose to speak.  The lion’s share of our communication is made up of voice tones (38%), facial expressions and body language (55%).  Action=93%. 

Perhaps this is why most of us have a mysterious ability to determine when someone is being genuine, and when they’re not.  We can usually “sniff out” people who are speaking with sincerity, and those who are “blowing smoke.”   

My wife and I recently spent a few days at an Ohio Inn that touts its dedication to customer service and creating memories.  These claims are made by companies so often these days that it’s not surprising that we’ve grown skeptical.  When we arrived, I had my smoke-sniffer in full operating order.  Frankly, I expected to be disappointed. 

But throughout our stay, we were greeted by friendly people everywhere we went.  Not just by the select staff who are paid to provide “hospitality,” but also by grounds-keepers, maintenance persons and house-keeping personnel – literally everyone.  But here’s the thing – I never felt like they were saying hello and inquiring about the quality of our stay because they were told to.  Their smiles were genuine.  Their queries were sincere.  Their desire to serve was an extension of who they were.  

In short, the customer service wasn’t just in the words they chose to speak, but in the other 93% of their communication as well.  Several times a day I discovered some customer service touch that wasn’t promised, just delivered.  How completely refreshing, and frankly about as rare as a barking cat! 

It’s so easy to throw the customer service claim around, but it’s a very different thing to weave it so tightly into your business culture that it happens, not because people are working at it, but because its who they have become.

You’re probably thinking, “so what; you had a nice stay at an Inn.  What’s that got to do with MY business.”  Good question – I’m glad you asked. 

Based on the average cost of upscale lodging in the State of Ohio, I’d estimate that this business is reaping roughly TWICE THE PROFITS as other businesses in their class.  They are not cheap – they make no attempt to compete on price.  They are selling an experience, making promises they keep and people (lots of people) are happy to pay the asking price.   

Our stay at the Inn extended into the workweek.  We felt like we were alone and expected the occupancy to be sparse on weekdays at this kind of place.  But when we gathered for our gourmet breakfast, the place was packed with couples – on a Tuesday in September.  Based on this (admittedly small sample size) experience, I’m also guessing that their occupancy rate runs well ahead of their competitors. 

In our cottage was a guestbook where previous occupants of the place had taken time to write of their experience there.  The majority of entries stated that this was the third, fourth or fifth time they had been here – touting each experience as more special than the one before.  This Inn has discovered the goldmine that is customer service, and they’ve discovered how to continuously improve so as not to get stale to repeat patrons. 

The bottom line is: people will pay for unique experiences.  People will return to be genuinely treated like they are truly special.  People will tell their friends (that’s how we first heard of this place).  And how we TREAT (93%) our customers is far more important than what we SAY (7%) about customer service. 

Learn what kind of promise your customers will buy.  Make a distinctive promise.  Develop a system to fulfill it.  Communicate it in such a way that your promise is firmly linked to your product in the minds of your target customers.  Do it day after day and reap the benefits of our promise-centric world.

Make it so.

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