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! 

Signs from God?

Believe in signs? I'm not sayin' it is or isn't a sign, but when two ancient Christian structures reappear from beneath the water, you have to pay attention. Why did they reappear? Water levels are dropping ... and that's not all. Why? I'd suggest you read about them.

First: Low water levels at the Malpaso hydroelectric dam in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas have uncovered part of a 16th-century convent which was submerged along with the community of Quechula 40 years ago when the dam was built. Full story here.

Second: Visitors walk near the newly exposed ruins of an 11th-century church, which had been the only visual evidence of the village of Sant Roma, Spain, on April 6 (top picture).

The valley housing the town had been flooded in the 1960s to create a reservoir for the Catalonia region, leaving just the bell tower breaking through the waves of an artificial lake, seen at bottom in an undated file photo.

But a severe drought has now exposed the full ruins, drawing tourists to the dusty reservoir. For the story from Spain, click here.

Third: The American West is drying up fast, and the next megadrought may bring on the Super Dust bowl. Rising temperatures in the West have reduced high-altitude winter snowpack, which accounts for 80 percent of the region’s fresh water. Tree ring data, meanwhile, suggests the area is prone to epic water shortages, such as the six-decade megadrought from 1118 to 1179. While most scientists maintain that conservation and better water management could stopgap any shortages, “nobody has a crystal ball,” says Peter Gleick, Ph.D., president of the Pacific Institute. “I think climate change is going to make water availability worse, not better. It’s going to be hotter and drier, with more political conflict over resources.” Super Drought story here.

Things are not getting better and we are headed for some tribulation. My opinion is that we are all stewards of this earth, and we have been selfish, gluttonous ingrates who've squandered the gifts of this green Earth that God graciously gave us. This is not a red or blue issue, a right or left issue - it's a simple fact that we're using up resources faster than Mother Earth can maintain them. Dismiss it if you will, but you do so at the risk of peril to you and your loved ones. For years we have been warned and we continue to bury rivers, spill oil, pollute, plunder and play political Russian roulette with our children's futures.

This falls under Frank's Stoplight Theory. What's that? Let's say a road is constructed and there's an intersection. It's a busy road and getting through it is tough. People contact city hall and the road department and anyone who'll listen to ask for a stoplight. One day there's a horrible wreck and someone dies. THAT'S when the stoplight goes up. As humans we seem to have to be hanging from the cliff before we'll do anything about what got us there; the chances of getting things rectified at that point are very slim.

Recognizing Earth's condition is one instance where a stoplight might not be enough to stop the process. After all, the Pentagon says the next wars and conflicts will not be fought over land, but over resources. It's time to put healing the earth right at the top of your prayer list.

Stories and photos from National Geographic.