I was recently in a conversation about making things right for customers when it costs you.
Maybe not relatable, but let’s use craft beer for an example.
If you own a craft beer bar and someone comes in, pays for a beer, and doesn’t like it. Do you give them a new one for free? Do you do that for everyone?
Many think not. Many will say it’s not good for your bottom line to always be giving free beer away to every person who doesn’t like it, especially when they knew what they were getting into.
Two responses. The first a riff on “free.”
The replacement beer isn’t actually free. The price they paid for the first beer splits and now they’ve paid $2.50 for two beers. It’s no different from an all-inclusive resort: the food, drinks, activities aren’t free. You pay for them in advance. The more “free” things you do and consume doesn’t hurt their bottom line because they’ve attributed a price value on everything. Free isn’t so free, but what matters more is the story the customer tells herself about the beer.
“Free” is a great way to get customers in to try something, but it’s an even better way to make things right. “Free” is the story most consumers jump to when they’ve had a poor experience. So when you make things right by giving something for “free,” it fits her story and she either feels content or, even better, cared for.
In business, what matters most is the feeling people leave with. Sure, first impressions matter, but ending impressions matter more. They are the deciding factor if the customer will come back or not. Those two beers that were originally $2.50 area actually more valuable because the customer is more likely to come back based on you fulfilling your promise of selling beer people love (even if that means dumping a few glasses of liquid to get there).
If you need the rational, monetary evaluation for guaranteeing a great experience and “taking the hit” to satisfy customers, there you have it. But what’s more convincing to me is that you’re in business to fulfill a need, to make people happy, because you care. You’re in business to make things right. So why wouldn’t you?
Stay Positive & Care More Than Others, That’ll Be Another Of One Your Differentiators
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