I’ve had a few restaurants as clients. They’ll tell you that the last thing they are selling is food. At best, they are selling a dining experience, complete with the fact that you don’t have to shop for the ingredients, prepare the food, cook it, or clean up afterward.
If I were hungry and I wanted to be satisfied, I’d drive through a fast food joint and stuff some kind of sandwich down my gullet. My stomach stops rumbling and I am, for a while, satisfied.
I can’t tell you what the sandwich tasted like and frankly, I don’t care. At that point, I’m more interested in the fact that the food was fast, cheap and edible. I have a minimum level of expectation, and if it meets the minimum, I’m satisfied.
Minimum = Satisfied.
Do you really want to strive to “satisfy” your customers/clients/patients?
And I’m not just talking about restaurants and food here. Every business should strive to astound – in a positive way – prospects and existing customers at every step during the process. Before, during and after the sale, or even non-sale.
Sydney Barrows – yes, that Sydney Biddle Barrows of 1980’s infamy – has boiled down her business knowledge and become a “experience consultant.” She’s good, she’s smart, and she’s funny. Every one should get a copy of her book: Uncensored Sales Strategies. After the book convinces you, grab a copy of XXX Rated Sales Strategies she created with Dan Kennedy. Your bank account will be happier, and you’ll thank me for recommending her.
Customers should NOT be satisfied, but rather moved to the point that they become your most ardent sales reps.