KEY POINT: While treating Customers like they MATTER is getting increasingly scarce in business today, some companies still choose to put their customers first. My recent experience with YETI demonstrates how they genuinely care about their customers. Companies that prioritize their customers and show them they MATTER and are IMPORTANT will win and eclipse their competition…guaranteed.
KEY QUESTION: Does the experience you deliver to your customers with every interaction clearly show them that they genuinely MATTER?
The problem businesses face in today's highly COMMODITIZED world is that customers aren't seeing significant DIFFERENTIATION between their competitors. They make their purchasing decisions based on one or more of the FOUR COMMODITY FACTORS (price, terms, availability, and location) instead of the factors that build CUSTOMER LOYALTY/RETENTION and, ultimately, ADVOCACY. Businesses need to break out of this "commodity model" if they truly want to DIFFERENTIATE themselves.
I had the opportunity to be SURPRISED recently by a company that demonstrated they put their customers first…YETI. My experience showed me they GET IT and understand one of the critical components of how to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. They demonstrated that their customers are important and MATTER and are at the CENTER OF THEIR BUSINESS.
While YETI has excellent products, this isn't their primary differentiator, in my opinion… it's their CUSTOMER OBSESSED CULTURE. They eclipse their competitors in two areas…their products and their WOW EXPERIENCE. Here's why.
The YETI Experience..
I recently contacted their Customer Service department about an issue with the lid on one of my travel mugs. I have several Yeti products, which are excellent…they are well known for making exceptional products. And while you might think this is a trivial issue, which it is, they are some of the best issues to test how companies treat their customers.
If you think their products are their primary differentiator, they aren't. There are certainly other competitors that also make excellent products similar to those offered by YETI. And even though their products put them with other leaders in their industry, it isn't what's earned me as a lifetime customer.
A few weeks ago, I lost the magnetic part on the lid that closes off the drink opening from one of my travel mugs. Without it, the lid is pretty worthless. Rather than throw it away, I contacted their customer service department to see if I could just order this individual part.
I called their customer service department and was connected to a wonderful lady, Jade. She was pleasant, upbeat, and incredibly helpful. I explained my issue and wanted to know if I could just buy another magnetic closure since I had lost mine. She knew exactly the part I was talking about and immediately offered to send me a brand-new lid…free of charge! Even though she knew this was an "operator error" on my part (I lost it), she didn't question me about it. She just wanted to solve my problem quickly and efficiently.
She collected my information and saw that I was a past customer. She was delightful, efficient, and very helpful. I received the replacement at no charge within about a week!! Below is the transcript from the email I received from her…
Hello Blaine,
Thank you for reaching out to YETI! I am so sorry to hear about your YETI 10/20 oz MAGSLIDER LID.
I went ahead and sent you out a complimentary replacement which should arrive in about 3-5 business days. For your reference, your order number is XXXXXX. You will receive an email with tracking information when it ships out.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Adventure on!
The YETI Outfitters
Jade B
YETI Help Center
An enjoyable, personable, and caring response…one that demonstrated I MATTERED to YETI. This was a tiny part that didn't cost them much, but it was incredibly important to me. They responded with a WOW EXPERIENCE and demonstrated I am important to YETI.
I LOVE THEIR PROCESS AND PEOPLE! This is very refreshing in a world of challenges, excuses, and arguments. Since I'm in the business of helping companies GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™, it was incredibly refreshing to see this in action.
Here's what every business can learn from YETI.
The entire process demonstrated that I MATTERED TO YETI!! They showed me I was important, even if I only needed a tiny part. They genuinely care about their customers. Their process and responses BUILT TRUST with me. And when a company earns our trust, we tell others about them because it's so rare and appreciated. That's why I'm blogging about this experience…I want to tell everyone how special and incredible YETI is to work with as a company.
YETI EARNED MY TRUST by treating me like I MATTER…this is why they are DIFFERENTIATED…and earned a CUSTOMER FOR LIFE.
My Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is incredibly high for them, and they will continue to get my business. Let me emphasize this point once again. It isn't because they have excellent products. It's because they showed me I MATTER to them and are always there to take care of me no matter what. They clearly have a CUSTOMER OBSESSED CULTURE and have demonstrated what it means to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. Excellent job YETI…keep it up!!
As a business owner/leader, I hope you can extrapolate some insights from how YETI operates. They get it. Do you?
QUESTIONS: Do you have business processes in place that allow your employees to treat your customers in a way where they know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they genuinely MATTER? Do you treat them as important and special, regardless of the order size or issue? Or do you make excuses and find ways not to help them get what they need and want?
What To Do Next...
NOW is a great time to do some self-reflection on your own business. It's also a great time to test your systems and processes to see if your customers get treated the way they do at YETI. Ask the tough questions. When I test this for clients and call their organizations, I usually get the runaround and excuses, and I don't get the YETI experience.
What experience do your customers (large or small) get from your company with every interaction?
Once you know where your organization stands, determine WHERE you want to be a year from now. This will give you a tangible goal to work towards. Then learn HOW you can get there…how to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. I have a ton of resources on my website (WOM10.com), you can read my latest book, and you can read my blog posts. These will give you an excellent foundation to start building a CUSTOMER OBSESSED CULTURE that will elevate your business above your competitors…guaranteed!
If this is what you want for your business, you can get it! You start by creating this culture and incorporating the CORNERSTONES to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. 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 you to create massive LOYALTY and ADVOCACY in your own business and become the envy of your competitors…helping you GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™.
