The lack of a relationship—as demonstrated by an uneven buying and/or servicing experience—is causing people to move their business.
Inducted into the Customer Experience Hall of Fame for my work fostering relationships and loyalty between providers and clients, I can tell you that our latest first-person exit interviews reveal a disturbing pattern.
When asked why they left, here’s what they said about their buying experience:
- Tended to talk about themselves instead of what we wanted
- Always trying to sell me stuff
- Never really brought us new ideas
- Commission-based mentality—did not trust them
- Unprepared for our meetings
- Often thought I could get better information from a Google search
- No real personalization; copy-and-paste communication was awful
And here are the reasons they gave about their service experience—and why they left:
- My previous advisor never really knew me
- Always in a rush to get us off the phone
- Lack of proactive communication—I always had to call her
- Never got back to me for two, sometimes three, days
- My advisor had so many accounts, he never knew we existed
- Inconsistent quality of advice and accessibility
- It never seemed to be about us, but more about his personal gain
- They never had any activities or showed interest in knowing my family
Make no mistake—these are inextricably intertwined.
80% of those interviewed stated that their experience with you is an integral part of their perception of both the real and perceived value they receive. It is fundamental to the relationship they seek.
Simply put:
Happiness and loyalty are derived from the experience they have—more than from the thing(s) they bought.
Want to ensure you and your team deliver an elevated experience every time—and not lose clients? Reach out to me, and let’s talk. I’m here for you.