(Time to read this Blog is about 3 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “How we look, sound and perform matters!  Master the discipline of constantly looking at every part of your business through your customer’s eyes…and then fix what needs fixing.”
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   7 key qualities of effective leadership:  
    
   According to a recent Gallup Survey, 70% of employee engagement depends on 7 key qualities of the leader.  Those 7 qualities that created the greatest engagement were ‘caring, competent,  visible, supportive, humble, approachable and vulnerable (open, honest and authentic).
    
   How do you measure up on these 7 key factors…and what do you need to work on?
    
3. If you think our inflation is bad…Argentina’s inflation rate has soared to 140%. Canada’s inflation rate is currently 2.7%.   In 2023 it was 3.9%. 
    
4. Car facts. Volkswagen AG, the world’s largest car maker with sales of US $284 billion (they also own Porche and Audi), states that its flagship Volkswagen brand is no longer competitive and is only marginally profitable due to high costs and low productivity.  They’ve announced a US $10.8 billion Cost-Reduction Plan.
    
5. That’s one expensive hat. A hat, believed to have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, recently sold at auction in Paris for €1.9 million.  That’s $2.8 million CDN…for a hat!  What will you offer me for a couple of toques that I might have worn once? (for you non-Canadians, this is a toque.
    
6. How I can be helpful: If your company, Industry Association or local Chamber of Commerce has a Conference this year, or in 2025, I’d love to chat with you about how my bottom-line insights on effective
    
   management, value creation, the customer experience, sales & marketing, creating a ‘winning culture’, accountability and profitability can be helpful.
    
   I deliver transformational keynote Sessions, half-day and full-day Programs complete with ‘Business Assessment & Management Implementation Tools’ that have transformed 100s of businesses around the world.  I’m easy to find at donald@donaldcooper.com.  

Now, to this week’s important topic:

Just satisfying your customers won’t ‘cut it’ anymore:    

Many businesses believe that the key to success is ‘customer satisfaction’.  But just ‘satisfying’ customers won’t cut it anymore.  ‘Satisfied’ is somewhere just slightly north of ‘not satisfied’, but far below ‘thrilled, delighted and amazed’.

‘Satisfied’ is not where emotional connection, brand loyalty and customer ownership take place. ‘Satisfied’ is not where customers become fans and tweet, text, blog and tell 100s of friends about you. 

‘Satisfied’ is where customers are not unhappy enough to complain, but not thrilled enough to come back.  So, rather than just ‘satisfying’ your customers, you need to absolutely delight and amaze them.  And, if you’re not prepared to do the work to make that happen, you should just pack it in right now! 

So, what will you commit to do to surprise and delight your customers, clearly differentiate your business from your competitors and make you ‘famous’ at every touch-point?  What products, services, extraordinary experiences, joy, speed, kindness, policies or proactivity will blow them away?  What’s possible?  What has never been done before?   Then, how will you make that part of your corporate DNA?

Sit down with some of the best minds and hearts in your business, including several front-line staff.  List every customer touch-point and imagine what ‘extraordinary’ might look like at each of them.  Then decide, commit, implement and follow up.  The world is run by those who have the creativity and the courage to be extraordinary!   

That’s it for this week…

Stay safe…live brilliantly!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.