Marketers use Net Promotor Scores (NPS) to help them learn one critically important piece of information. Would your customer recommend your product or service? Doe your brand get more net promoters versus detractors? But what is the most critical point in that experience? Often it is the last touch.
When you are walking out of a store or leaving a website, how will you remember your experience? What did the salesperson do to make you feel appreciated, special, and – human? What is the feeling left with your customer after her experience working with you?
Grocers, Plumbers and, Presidents
The Grocer – Today, as I checked out of Whole Foods Market, the cashier and bagger were talking and ignored me. I received the receipt, and neither made eye contact with me. The cashier and bagger were busy talking about their weekend. I felt unappreciated. I wasn’t looking for a hug, just some human contact, and connection.
A little eye contact and a simple thanks would have altered how this interaction made me feel.
Ironically, they had a little five-point survey on the screen asking how was your experience today? I didn’t give them my standard thumbs-up rating. I gave them a 1 (much worse) as I walked out the door. (Usually, I give a 4 or 5)
The Plumber – When the plumber finished installing a new hot water heater in my basement last week, he said to me, is there anything I didn’t do today to enable you to give me a ten rating on a scale of one to ten?
He told me that his company took these surveys seriously and if he made any errors or didn’t do outstanding work – he’d like to hear it directly from me. He wanted to be the only person on his installation team with a perfect record. And anything less than perfect wasn’t acceptable to him.
Wow – that was a bit surprising and welcomed. And yes – I gave Danny a ten. He wowed me when he carefully and precisely cleaned up the work area and made sure he left the space better than he found it. And, he tested the water heat level several times to confirm that everything was working perfectly.
He made it easy for me.
The President – One of my former clients had an unusual President. She asks her team for the names and phone numbers of five random clients who bought from their business that week.
She calls to say thank you. Nothing more.
Yes, this woman is much too busy to do these calls – yet the company has a remarkably high word of mouth for their industry. What happens on these calls?
Typically, the customers are a bit surprised since these aren’t huge sales. But everyone in the company knows that the President is paying attention to the details and, she often will pick up on an issue that might have been filtered out before she speaks with them. She is also setting an example for her colleagues that we want our customers to feel appreciated and welcomed, especially after they bought from us.
As her business grew, she had her entire executive team doing these thank you call. Guess what kind of NPS they had?
Want to grow your NPS? If you want to improve your customers’ willingness to refer new business to you, look for those special moments at the end of the engagement. That’s the time when your kindness and attention will be most appreciated and recognized.
Delight and Surprise
What does it take to delight and surprise a customer with an unexpected action, gesture, or message, especially at the end of a connection?
I’ll often send a handwritten note with a copy of my daughter Fanny’s cookbook, Orange, Lavender & Figs, to clients at the end of the project. It is a gesture of appreciation and often unexpected. Occasionally, I’ll send something more bespoke that I believe will be more relevant to them – like the time I sent a set of children’s books to a client since she mentioned how much she loves to read to her son at the end of the day.
That got a wow. Unexpected. Personal. Appreciated.
If you calculate net promoter scores for your clients and customers, what could you do at the end of a sale or complete a project that your competitors wouldn’t do?
Think about how you can bring unexpected wow – especially toward the end of an engagement. Even a little gesture at the end can make a difference.
How would you get a client to scream WOW at the end of an engagement to boost your NPS score?
Need help getting customers to scream WOW?
I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash
