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 Zwilling 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…Zwilling. My experience showed me they GET IT and understand one of the critical components of how to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. They clearly demonstrated that their customers are not only important but also MATTER and are at the CENTER OF THEIR BUSINESS.
While Zwilling has excellent products, this isn’t their primary differentiator…it’s their CUSTOMER OBSESSED CULTURE. They eclipse their competitors in two areas…their products and their WOW EXPERIENCE. Here’s why.
ZWILLING
A few years ago, I bought a set of pans from Zwilling. They have been great pans, and we enjoyed using them over the years. They get an average amount of use in our household and have held up pretty well.
This past year, I noticed one of the pans was losing its coloring, and food was starting to stick to it more than usual. I was ready to recycle it when I remembered they had a lifetime warranty.
I wasn’t sure about the lifetime warranty since most have so many exclusions it’s almost impossible to get a warranty claim. I thought it would be worth a shot, so I took a picture of the old pan and sent an email to their customer service department. To be honest, I really didn’t expect to hear anything back.
Within 24 hours, I got a response…I was shocked. This is not the norm today. Their response was incredibly friendly, and they would be happy to honor their warranty and take care of this for me. What?!? They stood by their product and showed me that, as a customer, I MATTERED to them. Below is the email I received from them within 24 hours of my initial email inquiry…
Hello Blaine,
Thank you for taking the time to contact The Zwilling Consumer Relations Team regarding your warranty claim. Please accept our most sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by the delay. We have checked our internal system and we can confirm that we do not have the 8-inch Parma plus pan available as it has been discontinued on our end.
Kindly provide us with your shipping address and see the links below and choose a pan you would like for us to send to you as the replacement.
https://www.zwilling.com/us/ballarini-parma-8-inch-non-stick-frying-pan-75001-641/75001-641-0.html?ref=searchsuggestion
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us, any of our associates will be happy to assist you. Your satisfaction is our priority - we’re here for you!
Thank you for choosing Zwilling.
The email was upbeat, positive, and personal. It wasn’t some standard corporate email, nor did it try to make excuses or find ways to exclude me from making a warranty claim. Fast forward through the entire transaction. I selected a new pan, which was immediately sent out to me…no questions or challenges, just service. Here is the transcript from their closing email to me…
Hello Blaine,
Thank you for reaching out to Zwilling
I have placed your replacement order for the ZWILLING CLAD CFX8-INCH, STAINLESS STEEL, CERAMIC, NON-STICK, FRY PAN, Order # (7835721). You should expect delivery within 7-10 business days. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us, any of our associates will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make this a better experience for you.
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.
The entire process demonstrated that I MATTERED TO ZWILLING!! They showed me I was important, even if I only got one pan under warranty. They proved 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 Zwilling is to work with as a company.
Why ZWILLING is TRULY DIFFERENTIATED
Zwilling EARNED MY TRUST and earned a CUSTOMER FOR LIFE. My Customer Lifetime Value 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 show 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 Zwilling…keep it up!!
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.
They have earned me as a CUSTOMER FOR LIFE! They have increased the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) of me as a customer to a point where it would take a lot to lose me as a customer. They will be rewarded…by my referrals and me telling others they are THE ONLY ONE I would buy from in the future.
As a business owner/leader, I hope you can extrapolate some insights from how Zwilling operates. They get it. Do you?
QUESTIONS: Do you have a process that treats 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?
This is gut check time.
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 Zwilling. 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 Zwilling 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 kind of 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™.
