Make us feel special.Customers come to you for something they need, or think they need, whether it’s a shirt, a meal, a smartphone, roof repair, a checking account, or a luxury vacation. This is what gets them in the door. But if you want to keep them coming back and singing your praises, it’s not enough to give them what they need; you have to also give them what they really want.
Your customers may all have more or less the same apparent need, but that doesn’t mean they all want the same thing. Everyone needs certain basics, like food, leisure, clothing, transportation, health care, and so on. Different wants are what give us both burger chains and Whole Foods, vintage clothing stores and Neiman Marcus, campsites and luxury cruises, SUVs and hybrids.
Customers’ wants can be just as varied when it comes to service. Some customers just want to be served quickly and efficiently. Others care most about convenience. Still others just want the best possible deal. And for some, the quality of human interaction ranks highest; they want to be treated with warmth, friendliness, and respect. Being able to ferret out and deliver what each customer wants most will go a long way toward winning you their repeat business and their loyalty.
I sometimes shop at Walmart, but it’s not for their “everyday low prices.” I go because the store is close to my house, is open twenty-four hours a day, and has very fast checkout. Shopping there saves me time, and saving time is what I happen to want. I would pay everyday high prices if it meant I could get in and out of there quickly.
Here’s another way to look at it: Products and services are needs; wants are about the experience of obtaining them. Needs are obvious and practical; wants are subtle and usually emotional. Health insurance is a need; wants include low premiums, expert advice, and speedy resolution of claims. Car repair is a need; wants include honesty, a clear explanation of the problem, and quick, reliable completion of the work. A cup of coffee is a need; wants include good taste and fast, pleasant service. A cell phone provider is a need; wants are reliable reception, expert tech support, and a hassle-free process for redeeming upgrades.
One woman shared a story with me that illustrates the power of discerning a customer’s wants. She had been working at hospices for ten years when she suddenly lost her job. She was worn out and money was tight, but she needed to have her hair cut, so she went to a salon. The hairdresser, she said, “washed my hair with such care that I was certain I was being attended by the fingers of God. Someone who knew nothing about me was giving me service with the same comforting energy and spirit that I gave to the dying and their families for a decade. I needed a hair trim, but what I really wanted was some comfort and care. This young woman sensed that. I will never forget her. This is the only place I go now to get my hair done.” That hairdresser knew the difference between a need and a want.
Figuring out exactly what your customers want sounds like a no-brainer, but it is not always easy. When I was at Disney, we always thought we knew what our guests wanted when they came to our theme parks and hotels: good shows, exciting rides, and fun. Then we engaged the Gallup organization to survey six thousand recent guests and ask them one question: “What do you expect when you come to Walt Disney World?” Turned out they wanted what we thought they did, but they took those things for granted. They were more like needs. Their top four wants, on the other hand, were these:
Make us feel special.
Treat us as individuals.
Show respect to us.
Be knowledgeable.
That experience taught me that customers’ wants often run deep. It also taught me that the only way to make sure you meet their wants and not just their needs is to delve beneath the surface and probe their deeper perceptions and emotions. You can learn about the wants of your customer base as a whole through formal surveys like the one I just mentioned and also by informally asking people—not just your actual customers, but friends, neighbors, and complete strangers—what they really want when they do business with a company like yours.
Figuring out what individual customers want is a bigger challenge, because each person prioritizes his or her wants differently. So if you’re dealing with customers directly, you should try to get a window on their unique personalities. To this end, I can’t overemphasize the value—and the power—of focused listening (see Rule #17, “Listen Up”). When people speak, clues to their moods and emotions are usually expressed in their choice of words, their tone of voice, even their faces and gestures. What prompts them to sound skeptical? When does their voice show signs of enthusiasm? When do they seem to lose interest? Do they sound impatient? These signs can be subtle and hard to interpret, which is why it’s crucial that you pay close attention. A puzzled look, for example, can mean they need more details or a simpler explanation. A blank stare can mean “I have no clue what you are talking about, but I would like to learn more” or “Is she wasting my time with this?” What a customer doesn’t say can also speak volumes. When customers go from being talkative and inquisitive to silent and withdrawn, it’s usually a sign that you’re losing their interest and you’d better dig deeper to find out what they want.
You should also be alert to subtle signs in customers’ body language. When do they frown? When do their eyes light up? Are they fidgeting? Are they folding their arms in a defensive posture? That can mean “I don’t like what I am hearing” or “I’m not going to let this person put one over on me.” Sometimes you can also find clues in their personal appearance; someone who is dressed impeccably in expensive clothes, for instance, might value quality and self-image over low prices, whereas someone in a comfortable old outfit might want durability more than the fashionable new style. Those examples may help you spot clues about a customer’s wants, but in truth there are few hard-and-fast rules. Experience is the best teacher when it comes to reading other human beings.
Here is an example of how focused listening can clue you in to customers’ wants. A woman called tech support with a computer problem. The phone rep guided her through some simple steps to diagnose the problem, but the caller kept getting flustered and had to start over several times. Instead of losing patience, the rep listened carefully. He noticed that the woman’s voice was cracking and she sounded not just confused but distraught. Gently and patiently, he asked if she was okay. Then she poured out her heart. She had recently lost her college-age son in an accident. Dealing with the software problem in the aftermath of such a tragedy was especially hard because her son used to take care of all her computer needs. She needed to have the glitch solved, but her really deep want was to express her sorrow. The support person understood that and let her speak at length about her son. Not surprisingly, his company earned her loyalty—and added revenue for the extended service contract that also ended up being a source of comfort and security for the grieving mother.
Bottom line: Your products may be so good that the world will beat a path to your door. But that path goes two ways, and it will lead straight to the doors of your competitors if you stop at giving customers only what they need. Dig deeper and give them what they want, even if they don’t know they want it.