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| Beyond Reason by Mike Wagner |
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I recently spent a Saturday evening with 86,000 of my
closest friends. Most of us were dressed in red to cheer on 
the
Nebraska Cornhuskers as they played the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Unfortunately
on this day, Virginia Tech fans walked away happier. But I’m not worried
about football at the University of Nebraska - when you have raving fans
they're not going to disappear overnight.
It’s the same with your business or organization. No customer/client is more valuable than the raving fan – for several reasons…
Raving fans are advocates.
Well before game time, I was getting gas in Des Moines when I saw a mom
with her 3 year old daughter. Mom was wearing a Husker sweatshirt and her
little girl was dressed like a Nebraska cheerleader. When I asked if they
were going to the game, mom replied proudly, “No, but every true Husker
fan wears RED on game days!”
Raving fans tell the world about you while recruiting others to “join the tribe”. There is no more powerful and economic advertising than word of mouth.
Raving fans are loyal.
After the loss to Virginia Tech I didn't witness anyone throwing away their
Big Red gear. No one was switching to cheer for Kansas or Texas. They were
disappointed, to be sure, but changing their loyalty from the Huskers? Never!
Once you've created a raving fan, it takes a lot for them to switch that loyalty to a competitor. While failure to meet their expectations through your product, service, or overall experience of your organization will try their patience, they won’t “jump ship” at the first sign of trouble.
Raving fans are not price sensitive.
Even after Nebraska's loss to the Hokies, Lincoln's Memorial Stadium will
be far from empty in the future. In fact, they'll continue their NCAA record
for consecutive sellouts with every home game they play. The price of the
ticket is not as important as cheering on their team and sitting with the
Husker faithful.
Value to raving fans goes far beyond the price they pay. It’s in the experience of dealing with your company; in the product you sell; what that product or service says about them as a discriminating customer. They are willing to pay a premium because the value they perceive is worth more than the money they pay.
As you plan for the future, your strategic focus
must be on creating raving fans. The advantage they give you, especially
during uncertain times, is too important to ignore. So, start making promises
to your customers and delivering on them in such unique ways that cause
your customers to act “beyond reason”.