KEY POINT: Every business loves to get feedback on how they did after a customer interaction or purchase. It is valuable data to capture. But if you ask the wrong questions, the data you get will be worthless…and possibly harmful. Asking the RIGHT QUESTIONS will help give you information to take you BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ so you can eclipse your competitors. Here’s an example.
KEY QUESTION: What QUESTIONS DO YOU ASK so you can LEARN FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS after they make a purchase or interact with your company?
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I went to Home Depot a few weeks back and bought more stuff than I probably needed. I had the usual Home Depot experience most of you can probably relate to…spending three-quarters of my time hunting down someone who could help me and the other quarter buying it. Sadly, this hasn’t changed …only gotten worse since the pandemic.
I have never understood why they have so many people standing around looking like they can help you when only a handful can really help you. They don’t know where things are located…and if they do, there is rarely anyone in that department available. However, when you get one of their knowledgeable people, they usually are quite a bit of help. It’s just hard to find this handful of people.
But that’s not the story for today…a topic for another post.
Businesses shouldn’t be asking what Home Depot asks. It’s a waste of time…not giving you the INFORMATION you need to BUILD TRUST, LOYALTY, or ADVOCACY…the critical ingredients necessary for TRUE DIFFERENTIATION.
After purchasing my products at Home Depot the other day, they quickly sent out a survey asking me to rate the product I just bought. There was nothing in the survey about my EXPERIENCE, only about the PRODUCT. Why are they asking me about the product? They don’t make the majority of the products they sell? My feedback isn’t going to change much about what they choose to sell. Wouldn’t this be a better question for the manufacturers to ask? It would be valuable feedback for a product manufacturer but not a retailer.
Home Depot is completely missing the point.
Whether I liked the product or not has nothing to do with what they primarily offer…an EXPERIENCE when purchasing any product. I could have bought the product from various retailers, the exact product many home improvement stores sell.
So what value is it to Home Depot for how I rate the product? Is it so they can decide what products to carry? That makes sense, but they could get that data from the manufacturer if the manufacturer did the survey instead of Home Depot. And the manufacturer should be sending me a survey to see how I liked the product and, if not, why not.
I don’t get it…why does Home Depot put so much effort into finding out what I think of the product? They are missing the mark on what is TRULY VALUABLE information.
Here’s the real issue with this type of survey. Besides being pretty much worthless data to Home Depot, they are asking questions that would truly DIFFERENTIATE them from other hardware stores. They are asking a question about a COMMODITY…a product that can be purchased at various places. We know it is a commodity because of how we buy it, and we buy these types of products based on COMMODITY FACTORS such as PRICE, TERMS, AVAILABILITY, and/or LOCATION.
The GOAL of any business should be to ask the customer questions that will help them DIFFERENTIATE themselves from their competitors. Their TRUE DIFFERENTIATOR is asking their customers HOW THEY FELT about the buying process.
In my particular situation, I am buying these from Home Depot because of LOCATION…they are close to where I live. It isn’t because of the CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE I get at Home Depot. It’s because they happen to be the most convenient. Their LOCATION is one of the commodity factors that drives my purchasing decision.
Knowing what I thought of the product is meaningless if it is based on commodity factors. What do they think would happen if Lowe’s opened a new store that offered me an even more convenient location? Since I buy from Home Depot based on COMMODITY FACTORS (such as location), I would immediately switch and start shopping at Lowe’s. I have no LOYALTY to Home Depot, and my LOYALTY is only based on the commodity factor of LOCATION.
My LOYALTY isn’t based on their PRODUCTS. It is based on their LOCATION. The products are virtually the same at both Lowe’s and Home Depot, and the selection and prices are pretty much the same between both stores.
The only things that DIFFERENTIATE Home Depot from a Lowe’s or other box hardware stores are COMMODITY FACTORS such as PRICE, TERMS, AVAILABILITY, and LOCATION…not the CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
Asking me whether I thought the product was good is irrelevant and a waste of their time. They should be asking me what I thought of the EXPERIENCE I received while shopping…how they made me feel during the purchasing process. That’s the only thing that matters when it comes to TRUE DIFFERENTIATION. It’s what would differentiate them from their big box competitors. It’s the only thing that would cause me to drive farther and past their competitors…not their products.
Customers are the only ones that write us checks for our goods and services…this should be the place we start with any business evaluation.
For example, I always drive further to the local hardware store if I have a question about how to do something or need some advice on what product I should buy. I know their employees can help me solve my problem, regardless of the price of the product at their store…which is usually about 20% higher. They give me a GREAT EXPERIENCE and treat me as if I matter to them.
It is worth the PRICE PREMIUM and MY TIME to get my problem solved and an excellent CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
QUESTION: Think about your own business. What are you asking your customers? Are you asking them to rate your products and services, or are you asking them to rate you on what truly matters to them…THE EXPERIENCE they get from your employees?
Companies that GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ focus on learning more about how they are doing with FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS, not about commodity factors. They focus on BUILDING TRUST, giving their customers a WOW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, and going out of their way to HELP them improve their lives and/or their business. These are TRUE DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS that can separate a company from the pack of competitors.
Remember, those who compete using the COMMODITY FACTORS usually only enjoy a short-term advantage. To DIFFERENTIATE long-term, you must compete on FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS.
FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS focus exclusively on how you make your customers feel when they interact with you. They deliver a WOW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE that helps you BUILD TRUST and get your customers (and others) telling others you are THE ONLY ONE to buy from. It is a strategy that builds LOYALTY and, ultimately, ADVOCACY.
Start asking different questions and learning from your customers with interviews, survey’s or whatever means you use to capture this information. This information will give you insights into how to eclipse your competitors and escape the COMMODITY TRAP. Customers believe companies are the same…we’ve all been conditioned to think in commodity terms, thanks to businesses like Amazon, Wayfair, and many others.
Break this apart with your customers. Show them that you are something different by asking them different questions…questions they actually care about. Unlike Home Depot, ask questions that you are in control of and can change. Ask questions that show how you make them feel and what you can change that would cause them to DRIVE FURTHER or PAY MORE. This is GOLD for any business today.
What To Do Next...
Take a look at your business and determine if you are asking questions based on COMMODITY FACTORS or focusing on FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS, such as BUILDING TRUST through a WOW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. Are you building massive amounts of LOYALTY? Are you creating an army of ADVOCATES AND MARKETING AGENTS™ who go out of their way to tell others how incredibly awesome and amazing you are to work with…THE ONLY ONE they should buy from?
If you compete based on COMMODITY FACTORS, now is a great time to rethink your strategy, purpose, and culture. Moving beyond these factors means you want to focus on the cornerstones that will take you BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™…the FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS. When you do, you can start asking the RIGHT QUESTIONS that will give you feedback to help you DIFFERENTIATE even more.
Start by learning more about what it takes to make this happen. You can get this on my website (WOM10.com), by reading my latest book, my blog posts, and by reading more about it from other sources. Solid knowledge of what it takes to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ is a great place to begin your journey.
As usual, if you have any questions or need assistance along the way, feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions or give you some guidance…complimentary, of course. I want to help you move beyond competing on COMMODITY FACTORS and start DIFFERENTIATING your company based on FOUNDATIONAL FACTORS. I want you to be truly DIFFERENTIATED.
