Customer Advocacy

Getting More Referrals = Letting People Your Customers Care About Know About Brands That Care About Them

In last week’s blog, I made a distinction between “likely to recommend” and “actually recommend.” I also suggested that from my vantage point the Net Promoter Score® (which is calculated using a single question about likelihood to recommend) has greater predictive value for customer loyalty (return business and future spend) than it does about advocacy…

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Likely to Recommend vs. Actually Recommending: Loyalty vs. Advocacy

I am a huge proponent of the concept behind the Net Promoter Score® (NPS)®. As you likely know the NPS® is calculated by asking customers: How likely is it that you would recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague? Respondents are given choices on a zero to 10 point scale. Those who indicate 9 or…

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McMobile – Will McDonald’s Mobile Strategy Kill the Drive-thru?

Having consulted with and written two books about Starbucks (The Starbucks Experience and Leading the Starbucks Way), I seldom compare Starbucks with McDonald’s. Typically, I see these two iconic brands in two very different categories. From my vantage point, McDonald’s is an excellent example of a service brand which focuses on price, speed of delivery,…

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When The Customer Is Wrong – Should The Business Be Right?

In 1909 Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s department store, is credited with saying, “The customer is always right”. Through the years, a number of my colleagues and I have emphasized that the customer is not always right but they are always the customer. I’ve come to believe that in order to be truly…

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The ABCs of PCT and Its Critical Role in Outstanding Customer Experiences

Long ago I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology with an emphasis in dynamic, interactive human systems like married couples, families, and businesses. Along that educational journey, I was exposed to many theorists and various models of human motivation and perception (operant and classical conditioning, needs hierarchies, etc.). One organizing concept has proven to have…

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All Business is Personal – Consistency with a Twist

Dating back to my early work with Starbucks, (reflected in my first book about the global coffee leader titled – The Starbucks Experience), I have been asserting that ALL BUSINESS IS PERSONAL. I often note that the next customer might be your 50th routine interaction of the day but for them, the contact will likely…

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FREE RESOURCES

The Starbucks Experience: Leadership Tips eBook
Elevating Care in Healthcare: Lessons from the UCLA Health System eBook
How to Win Every Customer, Every Time, No Excuses! Article