In a recent blog post, Susan Abbott tells us how expectations color the customer experience:
"...it is delivery against expectations that largely determines whether your customers are unhappy, just okay, or advocates for your organization."
True. And the expectations your customers have are set by their preconception of your business. That preconception is established through your brand, as Susan explains:
"The whole point of branding is to create a set of expectations. It's the brand promise, right?"
Yes. The brand promise is where the expectations balancing act begins. And, it's where many an entrepreneur's stomach is tied up in knots. You want a big brand that creates excitement and attracts customers, yet that also creates big expectations.
The Expectations Balancing Act
1. Big Promise = Big Expectations = Big Disappointment
A small business will make a big brand promise, because it wants to attract a lot of people. So the promise will include words like "The best," "The most," "The greatest" and so on. The intent is to appear larger than life, the result is to create expectations that cannot be met. What's the alternative?
2. Small Promise = Little Expectations = No Disappointment
So if you never want to disappoint customers, do you set expectations so low that you'll never fail? Those types of brand promises include generic words like "dependable" and "quality," Unfortunately, this is not the answer because it does not create a preconception of your business that attracts customers. So what should you promise?
3. True Promise = Realistic Expectations = Customer Satisfaction
Promise what's uniquely you. Too many entrepreneurs approach branding and customer attraction from the wrong side of the equation. The thinking is "what can I promise that will attract customers?" The thinking should be: "What promise can I alone make?" Each business has it's own unique personality. You, as the business owner, have your own exclusive combination of capabilities and values. Build your promise around that combination and you have a true brand that will establish realistic expectations.
Set the right expectations by setting true expectations. Promise what is uniquely you. It's a key fundamental of branding.
Which expectations equation are you using? What promise are you making?
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6 comments:
Bang on point!
Especially for small business, it's crucial to let the owner's unioqueness shine through.
Funny thing we were talking about just this topic. The question we struggeld with, was: how, exactly do you know what customers expect?
I know the glib answer is 'ask them' but (a) that is not easy/practical in every instance and (b) customers don't necessarily articulate their expectations (well) and (c) every customer is different.
We tossed around a few ideas but welcome some more input
@Dennis
The major problem with asking customers what they expect is that they they can only answer what they know. Valuable brands create new experiences and new expectations. It's up to the brand to be the leader and show customers what they can expect. It's difficult for entrepreneurs to do this, because we want to please the customer. But to be a unique, strong brand, I believe it's a necessity.
As a longtime creative director, I've tried to shepherd many clients through the process of creating a solid brand promise. The way I put it was that the promise must be real, relevant and remembered. Unfortunately, it's the "real" part most get wrong. Your article here is a great reminder of how crucial the uniqueness of the promise must be.
It is no longer a secret that outstanding customer service has become an imperative for superior performance, if not for the very survival of business. Recent surveys show that existing and prospective customers will not hesitate to defect to competitors if your business does not deliver on its service promise. Moreover, poor service can irrevocably damage brand equity, the only differentiator in many industries.
Karol
Recovery Bull Software
This is such a great topic that many small business need to read. Too often I've seen business owners over promise and under deliver and obviously the client is disappointing with the results. You must properly manage your clients expectation by keeping them up to date with your goals and the strategies that you are using to reach these goals for your client.
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