Don t Shout Exhortations

Don't Shout Exhortations

Cheerleading and exhortations will not build loyalty. Why? Because loyalty is a behavior, an activity, and it will not be earned by simply telling customers what to do. The activity of repeat buying is a response to the five principles that create customer loyalty.

Remember Horace's Supermarket? The relationship its customers had with the store was based on one thing: it was the only grocery store for miles. It was a one-dimensional relationship built on being the only store around. As soon as the new supermarket moved into the area, customers began to build relationships based on service, selection, price, and convenience. All of us have seen this scenario played out again and again as stores such as Home Depot and WalMart have moved into communities throughout the country. Yet despite the seemingly unfair advantage these major competitors have, many small local businesses have competed favorably. Invariably, the smaller businesses that continue to prosper have aggressively developed a loyalty relationship with their customers. You can also compete and prosper by learning and mastering the five principles that create loyalty and the activities that support them.