Lessons from DMJ with Jason Friedman on the Customer Experience and Why Boring is Beautiful

Delivering Marketing Joy is an award-winning interview show that helps marketers level up.  Each week, Kirby Hasseman interviews the best and brightest minds in marketing to help you level up.  This time on Lessons from DMJ, Kirby talks with Jason Friedman on the importance of the customer experience and why boring is beautiful.  Watch now!

In this episode of Delivering #Marketing Joy, Jason Friedman, the founder and CEO of CX Formula, delves into the critical importance of designing a customer experience journey. He underscores the necessity of building strong relationships with customers and creating a seamless, frictionless experience. The focus of the discussion revolves around the core concepts of customer loyalty, lifetime value, and the power of referrals. Friedman’s insights shed light on the profound impact a well-designed customer experience can have on customer satisfaction and overall business growth.

Throughout the discussion, Friedman also highlights the often overlooked value of repeat customers and the need to prioritize their satisfaction. He strongly advocates against “random acts of marketing,” suggesting instead a focus on sharing customer stories and experiences to attract the right audience. He introduces the innovative concept of a “kinetic pathway,” which involves reducing friction and increasing momentum in the customer journey. The conversation also touches upon the importance of effective onboarding, emphasizing relationship building over information overload. Lastly, Friedman offers valuable advice on creating an ideal customer script to guide businesses in delivering the desired results.

The Importance of Customer Experience Journey

Jason Friedman places a significant emphasis on the customer experience journey. He believes that businesses should be proactive in designing this journey to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for their customers. This involves understanding the customer’s needs, expectations, and preferences, and then tailoring the business’s services or products to meet these requirements.

Friedman argues that a well-designed customer experience journey can have a profound impact on customer satisfaction and business growth. It can lead to increased customer loyalty, higher lifetime value, and more referrals. This, in turn, can result in increased revenue and profitability for the business.

The Value of Repeat Customers

Friedman highlights the value of repeat customers, arguing that businesses often focus too much on acquiring new customers and neglect their existing ones. He suggests that businesses should prioritize the satisfaction of their repeat customers, as they are more likely to become advocates for the business and refer others to it.

Understanding and meeting the needs of repeat customers is crucial. These customers have already demonstrated their loyalty and commitment to the business, and it is important to reward this loyalty by providing them with excellent service and value. By doing so, businesses can encourage these customers to continue supporting them and to spread the word about their positive experiences.

Avoiding Random Acts of Marketing

Friedman advises against “random acts of marketing,” which he describes as marketing efforts that lack a clear strategy or purpose. Instead, he suggests that businesses should focus on sharing customer stories and experiences. These stories can serve as powerful testimonials, demonstrating the value of the business’s products or services and attracting the right audience.

By sharing relevant and relatable stories, businesses can create a strong connection with their audience. This connection can lead to increased trust and loyalty, which can ultimately result in higher sales and profitability.

The Concept of Kinetic Pathway

Friedman introduces the concept of a “kinetic pathway,” which he describes as a customer journey that is designed to reduce friction and increase momentum. This involves removing any obstacles or barriers that may hinder the customer’s journey, and creating a fluid, seamless experience.

The kinetic pathway is different from a traditional customer journey in that it focuses on creating a sense of momentum and forward movement. By reducing friction and obstacles, businesses can make it easier for customers to move through the buying process, leading to higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction.

Effective Onboarding

Friedman emphasizes the importance of effective onboarding, arguing that it should focus on relationship-building rather than overwhelming customers with information. He suggests that businesses should help customers understand the relationship they are entering into, and acclimate them to the business’s products or services.

Overloading customers with information during the onboarding process can be counterproductive. Instead, businesses should focus on building a strong relationship with the customer, providing them with the support and guidance they need to get the most out of the business’s products or services.

Creating an Ideal Customer Script

Friedman advises businesses to create an ideal customer script, which can serve as a roadmap for delivering the desired results. This involves pretending to be the customer and writing a script of their experience, and then using this script to guide the business’s efforts.

The ideal customer script can help businesses understand the customer’s perspective and anticipate their needs and expectations. By incorporating elements of the script into the customer experience journey, businesses can ensure that they are delivering a consistent, high-quality experience that meets the customer’s needs and exceeds their expectations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jason Friedman offers a wealth of insights and advice on improving the customer experience. He emphasizes the importance of designing a customer experience journey, prioritizing the satisfaction of repeat customers, avoiding random acts of marketing, and creating a kinetic pathway. He also highlights the importance of effective onboarding and the creation of an ideal customer script. To assist businesses in implementing these strategies, Friedman offers a free tool to help improve their customer experience.

Thanks for learning from the latest “Lessons from DMJ” with Jason Friedman.  You can find all of the content we create on our blog page here.  And if you want to create a marketing campaign that truly Hits The TARGET, check our FREE TARGET Marketing Playbook here.

 

When The Boss Is Gone…

The names in this blog have been changed to avoid calling anyone out!  🙂 My wife and I are creatures of habit when it comes to lunch.  We like to go to the same couple of places in in town.  So often, the people that work there know our order.  This is really true of a specific fast food burger joint in Coshocton. They do a tremendous job and know “just how we like it.”  As I walk to the counter, the lady will greet me with a grin and say, “Your usual?”  They do a great job of making us feel special each time we go in. My wife often orders something similar too.  Her “regular” order comes in a box and is available only with regular fries.  When this option first came out, Amy asked if she could switch it out for curly fries…but the team there was not allowed.  This particular meal only came with regular fries.  Ok. But here’s the cool thing.  Often, the ladies will deliver the meal with a “surprise” for my wife.  They will sneak in the curly fries, “just for her.”  It not only makes her happy, but it inevitably makes her feel special too.  And what did that cost?  Exactly nothing. Recently though, they brought out her meal with an apology.  “Sorry.  We had to bring the regular fries.  The boss is here.” Now THAT is funny.  So the employees, who are rock stars, when left to their own device are willing to go above and beyond to delight the customer.  But when the boss is in town, they have to stop.  That is SO interesting to me. How many of us are doing that to our employees?  As leaders, we sometimes set up policies and procedures to ensure that the lowest common denominator doesn’t ruin the guest experience.  But how many times are those rules keeping your rock stars from improving it? Just some “food” for thought. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, make sure to sign up for our VIP newsletter here!  Oh…and if you just want to shop for some sweet promo, click here.

But What Does the Customer Want?

 As a business owner, entrepreneur, or even an employee, it is really easy to fall into the habit of designing solutions based on ease of use…for you.  You look at a challenge in the business, and you naturally come up with an idea that solves the problem in the easiest way for the company.  It’s understandable. You are the person that has to take care of it.  It’s natural.  It’s logical.  But you are not the person who needs the problem solved.  I found myself doing that yesterday. For those that don’t know, I am working to start a microbrewery in Coshocton, Ohio…Hasseman Brewing.  When starting any new project, especially at the beginning, you are faced with decision after decision.  Where will this furniture be?  What will the decorations look like?  What type of SWAG will we have?  How will we price it?  Oh, and just about a million other decisions.  When faced with that mountain of decisions, it’s natural to find the easiest way to solve them.  What is the path of least resistance?  How can I solve this so it is not a problem for me anymore? In that moment, I would like to encourage you (and me) to pause.  Especially at the beginning of a business, you are making some “forever decisions.”  These are the decisions that don’t feel like a big deal at the time, but then become the things that people later say “we always have done it this way.”  (This is same process that you choose the side of the bed you sleep on, only to stay there for the rest of your life!) As  you are making customer-facing decisions, don’t ask yourself how you can solve the problem.  As yourself a different set of questions: 1.  What will the customer actually want?2.  What will delight the customer?3.  How will this make them feel?4.  How can I make them smile? You get the idea.  Take the time to make your business (and your customer experience) remarkable.  

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