Convert Your Detractors Into Promoters!
Your brand stands for so many things, whether you’re aware of it or not. We all generate an opinion regarding brands and companies, and it’s not always a conscious decision, but we do stand for something, and eventually, we will externalize it.
Seth Godin, the Renowned Marketer, has spoken on many occasions on how human beings crave connections with others. Tribes are a concept that goes back thousands of years. It’s human nature. We are for leading and connecting people and ideas. It’s the case of our group of colleagues at work, as well as our spiritual communities. Tribes are everywhere.
Niches, clubs, organizations endorse specific ideas and brands, and some of them generate such a devoted following that they’ve earned “cult” status. Customers are no longer only consumers but advocates.
It’s safe to say that I will never ever, e-v-e-r, switch from my iPhone, and that’s just what it is.
It happens similarly to retail brands. Think about Supreme, or Lululemon obsessed yoga moms, Vans or Converse believers, and Harley Davidson bikers. They don’t only look for T-shirts, yoga pants, sneakers, motorbikes. They seek to acquire and possess the traits which the brands represent and not merely a product.
Particularly in the case of CPGs, some consumption trends might be even inherited. It’s somehow funny when you think about it, but mothers have a considerable influence over which laundry detergent their daughters will buy once they live independently.
Brand Managers and Executives wish to elevate their brand’s loyalty and to have a larger following. There are actually several tools companies can use to test their brand’s level of likability and what’s the probability that a user is likely to recommend their product or service.
Net Promoter Score
The Net Promoter Score was first introduced by Fred Reichheld, Bain & Company, and Satmetrix Systems in 2003. The NPS is a popular customer experience metric that measures companies’ engagement and loyalty of their customers. It revolves around driving good profits and unleashing actual growth.
Companies like Apple, Procter and Gamble, and American Express utilize NPS to harness customer data to better their business. By asking for feedback across several customer touch points, they use this system to improve customer experience.
Results must be transparent, and ideally closed-looped, meaning that in Omnichannel terms, companies and brands can obtain information of value that ultimately results in customers recommend our organization.
NPS is measured on a zero to 10 scale, ten being more likely to recommend and 0 being least likely. So, the question is, how likely is someone to recommend your brand to a friend or relative?
After asking them, you’ll be left with people in three categories. Those who rated you from 0 to 6 are considered detractors. These are your customers that had a bad experience, they are likely to leave you for another or any other option, and they can become a headache for brands if you don’t redeem the situation.
The ones that rate you from 7 to 8 are called Passives. They usually get what they expected but would turn their back on your brand if something better comes along. Finally, the customers that rated you between 9 and 10 are considered your product or service Promoters. They absolutely find value in the experience and would certainly return.
To calculate your NPS, Take the percentage of promoters, and subtract the percentage of detractors, then multiply the number per 100. This number will also be useful to be aware of your future growth potential. The goal is to identify the issues that create Detractors as well as to develop and sustain activities that make customers Promoters.
Listen to your customers
Do you actually put yourself in your customer’s shoes? Ask, be interested and curious about what your customers have to say, and then act on it! Find the cause, explore the why, and get to the bottom of the reasons your consumers stay, leave or reinforce your bad reputation.
Walt Disney once said, “Do that you do so well that they want to see it again and bring their friends”. Learn from the experience and take action. Contact the customers and find out more about the root of every problem. Then proceed to Integrate the data. Don’t leave it to chance!
Executives and leaders must prioritize improving their customers’ experience; it’s a worthwhile investment.
Build bonds
Once you know the undeniable truth, what are you doing about it? Evangelize, and convert your detractors into promoters. Your most significant chance to convert a Detractor all the way into a Promoter is to redeem a bad experience they had. If you actually solve their problem and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, they will be glad to preach and share how you fixed their problem.
Remember that a solid relationship is built on trust, so if you’ve done wrong by your customer, attempting to fix it it’s the first step. Have a team monitored what is being said about your company or brand on social media and other outlets. If you can detect problems in an early phase, it will be easier to contain the situation that might be going on for reaching out to an angry customer.
Your Initial NPS only reflects past behavior, its already done, and that number reflects the results of previous actions or neglects. What really matters is that you acknowledge where the problems or friction occur and take corrective action to provide your customers with a better overall experience. Start today and build a network of genuine Brand Promoters!
