How to make sure your customers never buy from another brand again
Today’s a big day for me, I’m off to pick up a new phone! Now this might sound trivial and materialistic, but, like many of you, I feel like my phone is almost a third hand so I want it to be at the top of its game.
So far, I’ve spent quite a few hours (longer than I care to admit) trawling through the various models and deals. Underneath, I’ve wanted the top of the range iPhone from the start, but it wasn’t until last night that I managed to justify it to myself. At first, I didn’t feel I could commit to the increased monthly fee and wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to sign up, then feel trapped.
So I explored other options, searching for reasons why only the top model would do – and I found them! Then came the research into where, exactly, to purchase the phone. Should I buy the handset and a SIM-only deal or go for the ease of staying with my current provider? In the end, that’s exactly what I’ve done … and here are my reasons why:
I actively wanted to stay with O2 because of their Priorities app – I regularly treat my kids to a meal out because of the excellent discounts on there and recently saved over 10% on my son’s birthday present too.
I still have six months left on my current phone contract and O2 offered to pay this off early at no extra cost in order to keep me as a customer, all other options were going to come with this extra cost on top.
Their coverage is excellent, it’s rare that I experience any issues with phone reception. One of the other providers was completely off the table because it simply doesn’t function in the area of town where my office is – not handy!
This new plan comes with more data, barely a month goes by without my having to spend extra on top of my current plan, meaning that the jump in monthly cost isn’t as much as it first seemed.
They have the phone that I want in stock. I want to get my hands on this beauty asap for two reasons, so that I can pass my current phone on to my son (whose handset is wrecked) and so that I can start using the new camera and video functionality to create engaging content for my business and my clients’ businesses.
Let’s consider the order of these five points. Right up there at number one is the fact that I actively wanted to stay with my current provider because of their app – nothing to do with the functionality of the phone, the intricate details of the package they provide (number of minutes/ messages/ amount of data) and not even anything related to products or services they sell, but those of their chosen partners. This shows the power of collaboration, a key reason for me wanting to stay with my mobile phone provider is who they’ve partnered up with.
I love the fact that I can use their app to justify extra treats and fun times with my kids. Just last night, after trawling a few phone shops in order to make the final decision, I decided to take my son out for a meal purely because I knew the app would keep it affordable. We had the most fun we’ve had in ages (not hard when you’re parenting a teenager, fun times can feel few and far between), we discussed a huge range of things that would normally be off the table and had a real laugh together.
O2 has given me multiple ‘money can’t buy’ moments of emotion and connection, topped off with making me feel valued as a customer (point 2), which is why I actively want to stay with this brand.
It was only after experiencing these feelings that I started to care about all of the functionality and features on offer (points 3-5).
What started as me simply craving the latest phone based on its features, has come full circle as I’ve made my way through the decision-making process.
So next time you’re thinking about how to attract and retain customers, make sure you’re making them feel good. Don’t focus on the features of what you’re trying to sell them, focus on the emotion. Come up with innovative ways to make their lives better and they’ll never buy from your competitors again.
If you’d like to find out how to craft your messaging and get my 1-2-1 support to create a brand that others love to buy from, check out my new marketing support package here … I might even bring along my new phone to help.