SuccessTips Newsletter

May 14 , 2008 

In this issue: Customer disloyalty - What to do?

by Eric Albertson

Word count: 392  

Time to read: 1-2 minutes

Disloyalty can shake you to your core

At a very basic level, when we perceive that someone else has acted in a way that we describe as being “disloyal,” it is a shock to the senses and may make us feel threatened at a fundamental level. This is one bad feeling. You thought things were one way, but they weren’t.

Too much can put you out of business

Nobody really expects perfection in life. Disloyalty in customers just happens. If it happens too much, you could be out of business. If you notice a trend; it is probably wise to act, so you’re not.

The brand of loyalty we want

Most of us just want people to be consistent, tell us when things are not what they want. We want them to be patient and flexible with us, while we try to get things back in line enough that they can be happy once again. Is that too much to ask for? Sadly yes, it is too much to ask for, realistically.

Where it comes from

People are disloyal when they don’t get what they want or need. In marriage, coffee, burgers, dry cleaners, and so on. If, overall, the needs are met, people stay loyal.

Bad economy often brings on disloyalty

Your customers are pressed in a bad economy just like you are: more for less. If you and your value proposition stay the same as they were when times were good, you could be at risk. If someone comes along that will meet their needs better for the same or lower price, then disloyalty might occur.

What we can choose to do

“Disloyalty” is simply a conversation your customer has in his or her head. It often goes like this: “Joe doesn’t get it that things have changed for me. He doesn’t realize that my priorities have changed. I keep telling him, but they don’t make the changes that I need. Bill (with another company)  keeps promising to give me what I want. Maybe  I should give him a try.”

No, they often didn’t actually let you know

The tough part is that nobody told you that things were changing. One day they just left. Sorry. Welcome to adulthood. That is just the way it happens sometimes. It simply means that they like you enough to not want to talk about it. They can’t stand the pain of owning up to what they feel they must do. They just want to run away and think about something else, as they give their business to someone new.

What can you do?

Ask the questions: “How is the economy affecting you? Let’s assume the product is no-cost. What else would you want from me so that all of your needs are met”?

You might not like what you hear, but you will be dealing with reality.
You can’t change human behavior, but…

You can change the ways you act or don’t act. I hope you are sitting down. In most cases, disloyalty simply means we have fallen out of alignment with our customers’ perceived needs. Sometimes, you can make the changes necessary to stay aligned, other times you can’t. In the end, “disloyalty” is usually just that simple.

Action step

Consider getting out there and asking 10 customers the question above. See if you can stay aligned with customers, using your current business model with just small adjustments. Often the necessary changes cost you little, and get you back into alignment. Sometimes the changes are too much, and you must make major changes or let the customer go.

Get serious

If you want to slow or stop disloyalty, you have to start with questions, in my experience. You can take action this instant, with our book on questions, Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions. 

This book will help you get answers that allow you to slow or stop disloyalty. But, you have to act on what you learn. It’s an investment of $49 that, if put into even modest action, could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars, or even your job. Click the link above, or cut and paste this URL, to get the book:
http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/value-closing.html

Cheers,