How can you make consumers like you and recommend you?

Before coming:Make him come with anticipation “Before coming” is about making him come with anticipation. This is what we address during the audience stage, providing information services to make him look forward to coming. For example, when he sees “Clean and stay at HanTing,” he will have an expectation of cleanliness. Therefore, when he arrives, he must receive a clean experience, and even an experience of cleanliness that exceeds his expectations.

During the visit:Let him be surprised During the visit, you want to give him a little more than what he expected. What is customer satisfaction? Customer satisfaction is not an absolute concept; it’s relative. If his expectations are very low, then even if his experience isn’t great, he might still be satisfied. However, if his expectations are extremely high, perhaps beyond what your service can provide, then no matter how well you do, he won’t be satisfied.

A typical example of this design is 360 Browser. Zhou Hongyi is a master of user experience design, and 360 Browser displays how many seconds it takes to boot up your computer and tells you that your computer’s speed has beaten many others. This is a user experience design that makes you confirm its value.

Another example is the design of laundry detergent. It claims to contain a “blue speed-cleaning factor” and dyes some particles blue. This is all part of the user experience design, making you confirm the value it promises.

After confirmation, you still need to satisfy him. What is satisfaction? It’s going beyond expectations.

There’s an old saying: “Business principle – there’s no business without deceit.” You might wonder how deceit is related to customer satisfaction. Let me explain. The “deceit” in this business principle originally referred to a pointed tip, the idea being that there’s no business without a pointed tip. What does this “tip” mean? In the past, when merchants sold rice, if a customer came to buy one dou (a traditional Chinese unit of measurement), the merchant would use one dou to scoop up the rice. However, once the rice was full, it would naturally overflow a bit. The merchant would then use a measuring stick to scrape off the excess, ensuring that the rice didn’t exceed one dou. But you might not be satisfied; perhaps you saw a small pit where the scraping occurred, thinking the merchant removed two extra grains of rice.

So what did the merchants do? To address this problem, they took a small cup and filled it with rice, placing it in the middle of the one dou pile of rice. This allowed customers to confirm that it indeed exceeded one dou, ensuring that the customers felt they got a little extra. This is what we call a “pointed-tip merchant.”

The saying “there’s no business without a pointed tip” means that if you don’t create an opportunity for customers to gain a little extra, you’re not a qualified merchant.

This is an excellent aspect of Chinese business culture. Unfortunately, over time, it has been misunderstood and misinterpreted as deceitful business practices.

Customer satisfaction means giving customers more than they expected, allowing them to gain a small advantage. Whether it’s a B2C or B2B business, you need to carefully consider how to design it. You must plan in advance what advantage customers can gain from you, or at the very least, ensure that customers don’t feel disadvantaged.

For example, Xiabu Xiabu claims, “Close your eyes and order; every dish is delicious.” Does this set a high expectation? If you can close your eyes and order, and every dish is indeed delicious, then everyone would want to go. But what if it’s not delicious? What if it’s disappointing? In that case, the customer might feel cheated. So they say, “If it’s not good, it’s free.”

If you go to Xiabu Xiabu now and tell the server that a dish is not good, they will immediately remove it and not charge you. Furthermore, once you mention one dish is not good, they will also observe your other dishes and ask, “Is this one not good either? Should I remove it for you?” This ensures that you don’t feel disadvantaged. However, this policy not only prevents customers from feeling disadvantaged but also surprises them. Why? Because customers are used to feeling disadvantaged. Since many businesses have poor practices, if you complain elsewhere, no one will take the dish away, and you might end up arguing.

So, this system of customer satisfaction is not just about shrewd marketing; it’s a matter of sincerity in business, trust between businesses and customers, a gesture, and a culture. For example, many people praise Haidilao for its excellent service.

Zhang Yong, the chairman of Haidilao, once told me that people often praise their service, but he doesn’t understand what’s so special about it. He said, “When someone comes to your home for dinner, you should welcome them. Don’t we all do that?” He considered it basic hospitality. He also mentioned that they offer customers nail painting, and some people come just for that. However, if they come for nail painting but don’t want to eat, what should they do? Since the customers have already come, they don’t want them to leave without eating. So, it’s a gesture of goodwill.

You might wonder about the cost. When people ask for nail painting, it’s often after they’ve already waited in line, and by that time, the shared costs have been covered. The remaining marginal profit is quite high, so providing nail painting doesn’t add much to the cost.

He said, “It’s just a gesture, a way of doing things, and it’s unexpected.” In his view, it’s simply being kind-hearted in a genuine way.

After leaving:

Give him something to take away and talk about After creating anticipation before the visit and providing pleasant surprises during the visit, you need to think about what happens “after leaving.” When a customer leaves, they become a spokesperson for your business. They carry your reputation with them. So, during the visit, you ensure value confirmation and delightful experiences.

What about “after leaving”? In 12 words: memorable, eager to discuss, and take away a keepsake.

“Memorable” means there should be something he remembers. “Eager to discuss” means he’s willing to talk about it with others. What he talks about is what you need to design for him, making him a propagator. “Take away a keepsake” means he can take something with him as evidence and display it to others.

Let me give you an example for better understanding. Over a decade ago, travel opportunities abroad were limited. For instance, if someone went to Paris, they would return and tell all their friends about it. They’d say, “When I was in Paris…” and talk endlessly. When you visited their home, you’d see a small model of the Eiffel Tower prominently displayed in their living room. They’d proudly say, “This is what I brought back from Paris.” Essentially, they were advertising Paris to their friends, and this little Eiffel Tower model served as advertising placed in their home by the Paris Tourism Board. The Paris Tourism Board didn’t spend a penny, yet they earned money through this form of advertising.

So, you need to create something memorable, something people are eager to talk about, and something they can take away and display as evidence. This way, you’ll attract more