One of the lasting memories from the FIFA 2014 World Cup for me will be the passion and raw emotion shown from the Brazilian team and their fans as they sang their national anthem. To watch them sing with their chins raised and the dramatic enunciation of each word really got me. You could feel the passion coming through the screen.
To create delirious fans has to be the epitome of a brand’s success. I’m very passionate about businesses creating ecstatic fans at every opportunity. That’s why, for me, businesses should not settle for having customers that are merely “satisfied”. That just doesn’t make business sense to me.
So, here’s 5 questions that businesses should ask to prevent customers becoming merely satisfied, and instead form the basis of creating adoring fans.
1. How strong is your vision?
Not in terms of the usual financial stuff, but in terms of the customer, and their experience with you. The most loyal customers, and therefore, the ones most likely to be raving fans, are built on emotion. Explore your vision with your customer in mind. How do you want your customer to react when they come into contact with you at any touchpoints. What do you want them to think? And most importantly how do you want them to feel? Focussing on the answers to these two questions will ultimately help guide your vision and the way you interact with your customers. The stronger your customer vision the stronger your relationship will be with them.
2. What’s your one percent?
In Ken Blanchard’s book “Raving Fans”, the author says “You can make big changes in almost anything or achieve great things in your life by improving or changing one percent at a time.”
Delivering a vision can be overwhelming, that’s why small steps work a treat. The biggest problem in delivering a vision is knowing what to do next? Doing too little can be frustrating, or the size of the job leaves you immobilised. The one per cent rule is about improving by one percent. If you improve one percent each week by the end of the year you can make big changes. (If you haven’t read Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard, I’d recommend it. It’s an easy read; and prompts thought).
3. What are your customers not saying?
There are two types of customers to have on your radar, the silent ones, and the ones that show apathy when asked. Listen carefully for the silence of your customers. What is it that they are not saying? For example most people who receive poor service or an unrewarding shopping experience they are unlikely to tell you and are unlikely to return. When customers don’t complain, it’s as good as saying they don’t care. And for me that indifference hurts more.
4. What are you doing differently?
A business leader and good friend of mine often refers to “The Bananarama School of Management”. He says “It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it”.
What is it about the way you do things that helps create a delirious fan? The way you do things covers everything; your processes, your tangibles, your products, your service, your team, your vision. Creating memorable experiences is one of the best things you can do to create a loyal fan. Every brand should have its own style and those with the most clearly defined ‘how’ are often the most successful. The how can help you stand out, and once you are clear on your how it’s about delivering that how consistently. That’s how raving fans are created.
5. What type of customers do you not want?
It may seem an odd statement to make, however, it really does help to understand the types of customer you do not want. Not all brands will appeal to everyone. Your customer should fit with your vision. First of all discount the customers that you are not interested in for whatever reason. Then be absolutely crystal clear on the type of customer you do wish to nurture The type you wish to retain and to turn into an adoring fan.
Answering these five questions will give you a clear direction on areas that will help create adoring fans. I’m off now to be inspired by listening to Brazil team and their raving fans sing their national anthem. 90 seconds of pure passion … enjoy it here …
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV_ZwQ19MoY[/youtube]
Karen Lambert is a creative thinker, an experienced strategic marketer and founder and Managing Director of Happy Creative, a strategic marketing and branding agency based in Lancashire, North West England. To learn more please contact Karen at www.happy-creative.co.uk
