About the same time that Robin Hood was supposedly "robbing from the rich to give to the poor" there were gentlemen on horseback called highwaymen, who roamed the roads and countryside of Merrie Olde England.
Typically they would chase down, or lay in wait for, horse drawn carriages travelling from one centre to another, with the sole objective of robbing the carriage and it's occupants of their valuables.
Chase Customer Service
"Stand and Deliver" was their command when they forced a carriage to a halt. Loosely updated this meant "get out and give me all your good stuff or I'll kill you".
Although not overly skilled in customer relationship building techniques, they never the less got results. They did, however, score low on gaining repeat and referral business. More about this later.
Nowadays I like to think that, "Stand and Deliver" means "I stand before you and give you my word that I will deliver on my promise to you". That promise may be of product performance, a value proposition, a service guarantee or whatever. But a promise is a promise and if broken it won't get you far in terms of repeat or referral business which, as we all know, is the lifeblood of any enterprise.
I also believe that when you "Stand and Deliver", what you charge for your product or service becomes less important to the buyer than the fulfillment of the stated or inferred promise of performance.
Golden Rule: You only get one chance to make a lasting impression
A few years back I remember flying from Florida to Toronto on American Airlines. It was a late suppertime flight and I was pretty tired after a long 3 day business trip. I decided to reward myself and upgraded to First Class looking forward to a few hours of escapism and pampering (hey - I read the ads and watch the commercials).
There were only a few of us in the First Class cabin. My memories are of a flight attendant who must have graduated from a "How to pull in the crowds at a carnival midway" night course, such was her manner.
She must have learned "Haute Cuisine and how to serve it" at the same school as my much anticipated relaxing meal turned out to be a tough burger and salty pretzels on a plastic plate dumped unceremoniously on the tray in front of me. The cardboard cup though, was a nice touch!
Did American Airlines "Stand and Deliver"? On my flight decidedly not but it was my flight that counted for me.
Did I fly American Airlines in their greatest revenue earning seats again? What do you think? To me, it just wasn't worth the money I paid. American didn't deliver on their promise.
Another time I flew the Concorde from London to New York. It cost me the equivalent of a down payment on a waterfront condo. Was it worth it? You bet!! From check in, to the curbside in New York, British Airways understood that for the dollars I'd handed over, I expected a unique, convenient and hedonistic experience. Did they "Stand and Deliver"?
Not only did they do so but they redefined the meaning of "delivering on a promise". To the extent that one of their key selling propositions "speed = less flying time" was a negative to me. I just wanted more, more and more! Sadly, it's too late now. The Concorde and it's product/service delivery are no more. I'd gladly pay 10 times the coach fare once more to experience that promise.
To my earlier point, what you charge for your product or service doesn't really matter to a certain extent providing you deliver on the promise of performance expected by your customer. You don't expect a tablecloth bought from a dollar store to last and last and become a family heirloom. You do expect that from a hand made Irish linen version for which you paid 0. And if it doesn't last, and wears thin, then you'll quite correctly feel that you didn't get what you paid for,
I often talk about marketing being about perception - not about reality and I believe that is true. Smart marketing will bring a customer to your front door, your website or the other end of the phone but all the smart marketing in the world won't get you that valuable repeat and referral business unless you "Stand and Deliver."
And every dollar you don't have to spend on marketing and promotion can be reinvested in capital upgrades or go straight to the bottom line. Your most valuable "marketing asset" is your customer base - treat them like gold - and they'll return the favour. Where art thou now oh Concorde!
Golden Rule: Conduct quality control audits to ensure that your product or service promise can and is being delivered and that your customer is receiving at minimum, performance that meets or exceeds their expectation. If it doesn't then change the promise or change what's being delivered.
So, you have a choice, you can buy into the approach of the Highwaymen, make a quick profit, a quick getaway and spend the rest of your time looking for new prospects or, you can practice my version of "Stand and Deliver" and reap the benefits of consistent repeat and referral business while building a quality reputation and earning a fair return on your investment.
Getting and Keeping More Customers by Delivering on Your Promise!
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