Voting with Your Feet

Hi,

What is the difference between satisfaction and loyalty?

Have you ever changed grocery stores, pharmacies, coffee shops, mechanics, hair salons or spas without complaining, or even saying a word to the owner or manager? I have too. Have you ever made a change even though you were actually pretty satisfied? So have I. As consumers, when we do this, we’re voting with our feet, that is, we don’t make a big fuss we simply walk away—often for good.

When this happens do you wonder why—especially when the client seemed perfectly happy? Other things being equal, the primary cause for clients changing salons is the difference between dissatisfaction, satisfaction, and loyalty. Dissatisfaction is easy: The goods or services don’t meet the client’s needs. The quality isn’t right, the value isn’t there, or the experience doesn’t meet expectations. Satisfaction is just as clear; most of the client’s expectations are being met: products, services, value, experience, etc.

But what makes a satisfied client loyal?

Here’s a personal story. Before they retired in old age I went to the same salon for 10 years. In that time they raised their prices several times, made it harder to get an appointment, and reduced the number of days they were open from six to four. During that time I had several bad hair cuts, a poked eye, a deep nick out of one ear, and I was never happy with their standard for cleanliness. As it turns out, I’ve been known to walk out of a restaurant that doesn’t greet my party promptly, or a shop that doesn’t offer a pleasant greeting—so what was it that made me loyal to my salon for so long?

An emotional connection is what made me a loyal client.

A Transformational Client Experience is what creates an emotional bond between you and your clients. It makes everything else possible, including:
• Profitable growth
• Building your brand
• Developing teamwork among your staff
• Smoother operations and lower costs.

If this thinking appeals to you, and you are committed to making your mark on the haircare business, please contact us to set up a few minutes to talk. We’re very interested in your story and your aspirations for the future. We’d like to explain our program and explore ways we can work together. Thanks for taking time to read this. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jim Lucas
Séva Education
(925) 980-7871
gojimlucas@sevastyle.com

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