How to Keep Customers in Under 30 Minutes

My favorite pair(s) of shoes I've ever had are Sanuk Sidewalk surfers. Not only are they incredibly cool, they're extremely comfortable. I first found the shoes about a year ago. Scratch that, all Sanuk's are equipped with a label that reads "these are not shoes," the idea being that they wear like sandals. They do, in fact wear like sandals. I call them my "homeless person shoes." Of course because I loved my Sanuk's so much and because I'm a Gen Y I wanted to learn a little more about the company. I learned that "sanuk" is Thai for "fun." Appropriately Sanuk's tagline is "Smile...Pass it on!" From the website, it's evident the company has developed a strong culture around that idea. The site is very personal filled with staff photos, the company's story. It appears to be a place where the brand is alive rather than just a corporate message on the store shelves.

Yesterday when my second pair of Sanuk's started coming apart at the same place as my first pair I wasn't mad. I was a little sad because I love them so much. I'm generally not a complainer but I wanted Sanuk to know what was going on so they could make a better product. I sent them the below email

" I have two pairs of Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers a brown pair and a khaki pair that I absolutely love. These are the best sandals I’ve ever had. I LOVE THEM!

But the only thing is both pairs have break apart at the big toe. Not the cloth section but the rubber parts where the rubber goes around the front. It’s really weird. Anyways both pairs of them have done this and I just wanted you to know in case there is a problem that can be fixed.

Thanks!"

In less than 30 minutes I received the following response:

"Jeff,

This is caused by two things. First, the material is REALLY soft, so it will be comfortable on your feet; but it is also very easy to scuff and tear. Secondly, the “lip” of the shoe sticks out so far, thus it catches when you walk.

We are working on this, but it seems to be in a problem that will always be there. I will be happy to replace yours for free. Just send me a pic of your shoes, along with a suggested new one, size, color and model. Don’t forget to also include an address.

Smile… Pass it on…

John Gothard"

As you can see I didn't even have to ask for a new pair of shoes. They offered. For organizations wondering how to keep customers this is it. He answered my question about why the shoes were coming apart, said they are working on a solution and offered a free pair. It wasn't a canned response received weeks after the initial email. It was done in less than thirty minutes. They didn't make me haggle with them. They didn't ask me to send them the receipt. They didn't ask when I bought them.

In case you were wondering how to keep customers, create brand advocates and keep fans loving your brand, this is it.

Dogs understand brand consistency. Do we?

My macho dog, Benson, a Yorkie, perhaps from coming to work at Catch Your Limit everyday, has developed a real understanding of brand consistency. In fact I think all dogs understand it and by studying their basic behaviors, though crude at times, it becomes painfully obvious why consistent brand experience is an absolute must.

In addition to working for Catch Your Limit Consulting I manage 18 rental units that I own. This requires me to stop at the bank several times per week to make rent deposits. Often I stop on my way to work in the morning, to use the bank drive-thru while Benson is in the car with me. For my rental properties I patron a local institution named Premier Bank. Apparently many of their customers are accompanied by canine companions as part of their policy is to send dog treats back with through the little clear tubes with my deposit receipt. The intelligent beast that he is, Benson's Pavlov reflex kicked in and have connected Premier Bank with Yum Yum time. As I pull into the parking lot his point ears perk up, his eyes widen and he focuses his attention on the magical window which I will soon pull a treat from. His mouth begins to hang loose, his tongue, eager for Milk Bone goodness begins to sag out and of course drool follows.

I'm at the bank so often the tellers know me and my dog. I'm one their first customers every single morning it has become routine.

"Hey Becky.""Hey Jeff, how's it going? Hey Benson"
"See you tomorrow Becky"
"Yep, see you then."

Today when I received my deposit receipt the teller forgot Benson. I could only look at him and say, "Sorry man, it's not your day." He looked back at me confused and upset. His whine became a whimper as we pulled away. Pathetically, he tried to look out the window back at the treat depot to figure out what kind of prank was being played upon him. Still in disbelief he jumped on my lap and sniffed around at the deposit receipt to see if perhaps it was just a colossal mistake.

Though this example may be obvious and simple and while the conclusion is simple executing it is not. Benson had an expectation of what he'd receive at the bank because of his previous experiences. When he experienced an interaction inconsistent with his previous experiences he was not only confused but upset. Just like Benson we come to expect consistent service and a consistent product because of our prior experience when our expectations are not met we leave confused and upset. This is easy to understand but what is not easy is delivering on the promise that we make to our customers every single time. I love Premier Bank; they are a great place to do business, a great institution. This was a rare mistake, it happens, Benson will get over it. How many times will your customers?

A tale of two gyms

One of the most integral aspects of branding is consistency. If you aim to be known for something you better live up to it in the real world beyond the flashy ads and the pr. This holiday I had two completely different brand experiences with the same brand, a brand I interact with daily. I'm a member of Gold's Gym in Tallahassee. Gold's professes to understand the importance of having a strong brand:

"Brand Awareness is one of any company's most important assets and certainly the strong brand awareness enjoyed by the Gold's Gym brand is a key reason to consider a franchise. Franchisees benefit from over 40 years of Gold's Gym brand recognition as the fitness industry creator and leader - it's an achievement that provides our franchise owners an instant advantage over other fitness clubs.

Gold's Gym has established worldwide recognition through millions of dollars of advertising placement, consistent P.R. exposure and strategic marketing alliances and promotions. Members trust our tradition of excellence."

My gym has new and slightly used equipment, it is well lit and decently clean. The staff knows me personally and do a good job of making me feel valued. In Tallahassee a lot of their advertising has focused on positioning themselves as "the cleanest gym in Tallahassee."They do a good job of living up to it as the facility provides many spray bottles with cleaner and a towel for wiping down equipment and employ a high school student to constantly wipe down machines ensuring I don't have to share sweat with others. My local franchise gave me a set of standards I expected of the other franchises I visited during my holiday vacation.

My first experience during the holidays was with a Gold's Gym in Mt. Dora, FL, a suburb of Orlando. An extremely positive experience, the gym was new so all the equipment was in outstanding condition, it was extremely bright and the gym was also equipped with a lot of sharp looking flat screen televisions which really added to the atmosphere. The biggest and most important factor in making this a positive experience was the cleanliness. Albeit it was a new gym but each machine, each piece of equipment had a spray bottle with cleaner and a towel. The gym was immaculate. By all accounts it was consistent with my preexisting brand experiences and lived up to if not exceeded my brand expectations.

Farther south as my vacation and my opinion of the Gold's Gym brand moved in that direction, This experience took place at Gold's in Sunrise, FL, a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale. This experience was dreadful. The gym was dark, dank and stank. There wasn't a piece of equipment that had been updated since the 1980's. Half the televisions didn't work and it felt as if the AC was also not working. The flooring was a dirty yellow carpet. The worst part was there wasn't one spray bottle of cleaner in the entire facility. There were no little cleaning dudes scrubbing the equipment and it showed. I thought perhaps I was in an experiment meant to study staph infections. The place smelled like garbage and sweaty feet. I felt dirtier from being in the facility than from my actual workout.

Two such drastically different brand experiences are not conducive to maintaining an effective brand. Each gym had slightly different kinds of machines, they carried different brands of equipment which operated slightly different which wasn't a problem at all. The problem was in the vastly different quality and condition of each location.

Though these are franchises, each with separate owners most companies have policies and regulations in place to avoid such different experiences. Such is the point of franchising, not to simply hang the same name on the door. As an international franchise consistency seems like it would be higher on the priority list.