You can’t just have the ‘best’ product, you must delight your customers.
Surprise us.
Give us something new, unique, original, different, special; something we haven’t even dreamt of yet. It can be the same basic thing as what I already have—a universal remote, for example—but do it in a way that is vastly different than any other. Nobody buys the paintings by the guy who paints exactly like Picasso.
Pay attention to the details.
Let every interaction be a joy. From your product’s design, to your packaging, to your website, to your advertising, to the way you answer the phone, let us be amazed by your relentless delight at every level.
Keep it simple.
Don’t bog me down in endless feature lists and a swiss-army-knife-of-uses that won’t ever fit in my pocket. And don’t assume that the loudest of us, your customers, really knows what’s best for the next iteration. We may say we want more choices: steaks, salads, and fried mac-and-cheese but will that kill the simplistic joy of eating just burgers?
Make it intuitive.
Can a child figure it out? Or is there a user manual the size of my King James Bible? I’ll read a 1000+ pages if it deals with the eternal destiny of my soul. If it’s on how to use my sound system, you’ve failed.
Be kind.
You can be funny, sarcastic, serious, up-tight, wound-up, crazy-go-nuts, or downright stupid—whatever fits your brand. You can paper-maché it over with great design and flashy PR, but if you’re not kind, watch us all eventually walk away.
Do the stuff that sucks.
Take out the trash. Clean the restroom. Train your staff. Answer phone calls. Be nice to the nasty guy returning your product because he broke it. We all know business is not all fun-and-games. Show us that you can do the un-fun stuff. And please do it without us seeing you cringe.
There’s a million ways to delight your customers. Find them. Do them. Consistently. We will love you for it.
