What Does it Mean to Delight Customers?

by Jordan-Ann Powell | Apr 9, 2019

We meet with our clients every 90 days to evaluate their marketing activity and review their performance. Consistently, the number one neglected stage of the funnel is Delight. Delight is defined as giving a surprise moment of joy to your customers and falls after the Win stage, but before Grow. There’s a reason for this. Once you win a new client (this is where the sales and marketing folks typically dip out of the process), you’re still responsible for their experience on the other side of the close. If you haven’t on-boarded your clients well and treated them right, you have no business asking them to buy more from you.

Why should I care about Delight?

If you sit in a sales or marketing seat of your business, it’s likely that the last thing you’re thinking of is how to show your appreciation for your existing customers. It’s natural. As someone who also has responsibilities at the top of the funnel, the thing that’s top of mind is how we can reach new potential clients and sell.

But, did you know that existing clients will be the fastest way to revenue? It is anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep a current one (source). You’ve already overcome the hardest part with your existing clients: educating them on who you are and explaining what you do and how you do it. Now they’ve seen it. And, if you’ve served them well, they’ve got a good point of reference for what it’s like to work with you. Delight is all about planting the seed for growth.

It is anywhere from 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep a current one.

Ok I get it, but now how do I Delight my customers?

The important thing to remember is that this goes beyond good customer service. The key to Delight is to go beyond what you promise you’ll do. Delight is about making your customers feel special and giving them something unexpected. Give them something worth talking about.

Here are some of our thought-starters on how to Delight customers:

1. What’s an important milestone to celebrate? You’ve seen (probably a million times) the infamous “Happy Birthday” email. At this point, I expect a birthday message and offer if I’m signed up for your emails. You can give this a little spin and celebrate milestones unique to the customers: reaching 1 year as a customer, visiting 5 times, etc.
2. Who is important to your customer and how can you make them feel special too? Make it count for the family too! For example, create a game, a coloring sheet or a simple toy that could be given to kids of your customers.
3. How do you want your customers to feel when they interact with your brand or service? If you want them to feel supported, consider a hand-written thank you note. If you want them to feel educated, create a guide or handbook with facts and notes to guide along the way.
4. What’s a unique item that your customer could find useful? Show that you know them well by getting them something to make their day-to-day life a little easier or more fun — it could be a product you sell, a mug (maybe even with your logo on it), or a fun new gadget.

To sum it up:

• It can be 5x more expensive to acquire new customers, so the way you treat and nurture your existing customers will be most valuable in the long run.
• Delighting your customers is an opportunity to say thank you and celebrate like you would a great friend.

Want some more ideas for how to delight your customers? Let’s chat!