People in the UK were freaking out earlier this week.
“It’s 40 degrees. It’s so hot, I had to use my fish slice to get off the couch!”
Of course, these are the same people who, every other year, happily shell out the best part of a grand to pop to Cyprus for a week and come back crisper than that piece of bacon that’s been wedged at the back of your oven since 2015.
Hot weather abroad = good.
Hot weather at home = bad/weird
We don’t like upsetting the norm.
We expect our skin to feel constantly ablaze when we’re lying on a beach in the Algarve but we don’t want to be surreptitiously flapping our pants in Boots so we can get a bit of breeze up our kecks.
When something doesn’t match our expectations, we can freak out.
Imagine booking a massage to get the knots out of your back, only to discover your appointment was over Zoom and, instead of being pummelled, you’d be getting a “Spatially Transcendent (Non-contact) Curative Palpation”.
Mismatched expectations can close your customer’s wallets – FAST!
Surprise is a great marketing tool… but only if it’s the GOOD kind.
“Here’s an extra training video I found. I think you’ll find it useful, so I’ve added it to your portal – no charge”
… is good.
“Yeah, the five grand only covers opening you up and removing the kidney, Mr. Johnson. If you want me to sew you back up and put all this blood back into your body, that’ll be another 8 grand. Best decide now… I have a racketball court booked at 3.”
… is bad.
Exceed expectations and you might just have a fanboy (or girl) for life.
So… what are your customers expecting… and how can you take it up a level?
John Holt