Dealing with Vanishing Client Loyalty

This continues my 3-part series on soothing client relations

I shared some ideas for calming irate clients last post. I would like to discuss the challenges you may face with today’s views of client loyalty. Technology changed purchasing forever. Amazon, EBay, and other sites allow you to buy books, electronics, and more without leaving your home. Technology also allows people to compare your prices with others with the click of keyboard.

Build Your House of Straw, Sticks, or Bricks

My good friends Jared and Sarah Stewart authored City of Influence. In the book they liken the story of the three little pigs to client loyalty. They liken the pig that built its house of

• Straw to owners that build their business on price
• Sticks to owners that build their business on service
• Bricks to owners that build their business on relationships

Lasting loyalty stems from relationships rather than price or service. Loyalty built on price lasts only until a lower price appears. Loyalty built on service can also be supplanted by better service. As the Stewarts wisely comment “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.”

Personal Experiences

I have pondered this concept the last few months. My daughter-in-law opened my eyes to a saving money on our shopping list. Her approach involves:

1. A combination of using Internet sites and newspapers to find the lowest prices
2. Making a list of the items that we want and have lowest prices from each store
3. Taking the list to Wal-Mart who will match all of the other store’s prices

Yet, the front-end manager, the baker, and the deli manager all greet me by name at the locally-owned grocery store. I keep going back to the local grocer because of their welcome. Relationship truly trumps price and service for a lot of us.

I suggest you read City of Influence. I also recommend Ken Blanchard’s book Raving Fans and Jeffrey Gitomer’s book Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless.

I will conclude this series on client relationships on Saturday. Don’t miss it.