The Formula for Delighted Customers

Definition: "Delight - To take or give great pleasure or joy."  You often hear companies being told to "Delight your customers." You definitely should do that, but let's go over the definition of "delight" as it is a bit overblown in some of the things I've been reading, especially in light of the definition I use and how it relates to brands and marketing.

Going over the top with offers and special deals is for the 20% of your customers in the 80/20 rule (80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers). Most folks don't have the time or resources to lavish great attention on every customer, much less get employees to really care enough to do it (the last paragraph address this).

My personal definition of a brand is, "A brand is a promise of repeated delightful experiences based on a history of delightful experiences." Given that the customer owns your brand, and you or your clients do not, it's up to them to decide what's delightful or not.

There are so many times when we go to see, buy or do something and the experience falls short of what is promised in ads. Consistently good results for our investment of time and/or money makes us happy - delighted, if you will - because being disappointed is so common. Getting what we feel is fair value for our time and money is delightful.

Customers should be delighted every time they do business with you or your client; i.e., they should be quite pleased or feel a bit of joy. Coke and McDonald's delight customers with every purchase. How so? Well, water, bread and lunch meat will satisfy hunger and thirst but, on a hot, dusty, day, a cold Coke is (say it with me) delightful. When you're pressed for time, a hot, grilled chicken sandwich on a whole grain bun with lettuce, tomato and mayo is a damn sight better than a pack of cheese crackers from a gas station, especially if an ice cold Coke is served with it. If I'm really, really hungry and an hour from anywhere that sells food, finding a pack of cheese crackers is - you guessed it - delightful. I'm not overjoyed by my discovery (unless it's my first meal in days), but I am delighted.

Let's say I own a junk yard and a person calls me looking for a part after calling five other yards. I have the part and they're delighted, and I was simply doing was my job. That puts me at the top of their list for next time. When they call again - and I'll likely be the first call after being their part savior before - and I don't have the part, I offer to locate it for them, and that makes them happy. To go one further (and keep the business), I offer to get it sent to my store, they're delighted and, again, I'm just doing what I do. Even junk yards can delight customers.

I'm delighted when:
• I can help my clients set higher marketing and advertising standards
• We educate all  their employees about the value and importance of those standards and how their contributions help everyone ("A rising tide lifts all boats")
• We put systems and rewards in place to ensure that measurable goals are achieved and perpetuated
• They make excellent internal and external communications about their products, services and company the rule

Why am I delighted and not overjoyed? Because what I described is my job as a marketer. I'm overjoyed when they come back and have added ten, twenty or thirty percent to what I set out. Now, THAT'S some serious, overwhelming, tear-jerking joy!