When loyalty isn’t loyalty

A lot of people think loyalty programs are a way of building loyalty. But keeping clients and generating traffic aren’t the same thing. It’s not getting them in the door. It’s how they got there in the first place. In fact, most loyalty programs are really about retention. They are ways of keeping people on the hook and squirming, so you can peddle your wares. Loyalty means your clients will go to bat for you without any incentive. They simply believe in you and care for you. You needn’t do more than ask to receive. You generate that when you help fulfill people. People will fight to the death for people who let them live their lives the way they want to.

Apple users treat computers like a holy war. They’re not compensated for the endorsement. They do it as a value statement. It reflects a way of thinking. But, how often do you see PC users in a lather about their computing platform? You don’t, because a PC is just a tool to get things done. That’s about as exciting as a paperclip. We may all need paperclips, but it’s hard to get that excited over them. Get people to care. You see it with In-N-Out, Southwest Airlines, Krispy Kreme – you know the type of company I’m talking about. Companies where it’s about a culture and not just a product.

When you think about it, loyalty programs encourage much the opposite of loyalty. If you give someone something to help you out, they’re not really doing it for you anymore. They’re doing it for themselves. That’s not loyalty. That’s bribery. Yet, that’s just the thinking that permeates the photography world. And it’s not just loyalty programs. It’s the numbers game in general. The idea that you just need to slip people through that door, then squeeze. Certificates for this, discounts for that. Price sheets to create the perception of value, finding ways to give without really giving. Incentivize, lock them in, then sell the hell out of it. Upsell, downsell, sidesell. Yes, it’s a living. But it’s a living.

It’s not that the numbers don’t matter. It’s that it doesn’t matter without the rest, and it’s all too easy to forget about the rest. What you don’t want is, I give you this, so you give me that. What you want is, I value you, and you value me. Great relationships are not contingent on the goods exchanged. You exchange goods because of great relationships. And it’s all the more important with weddings. Because you don’t just need repeat business. You need referrals.

So forget about fine print. Looking at dotted i’s and crossed t’s is the surest way to destroy a relationship. It makes you think about yourself instead of the other person. Built trust. Build a model on passion, caring, and giving. Remarkable stories start when people stop thinking about themselves, and there’s no way around it. People have pretty good bullshit detectors. Don’t think that just because people are going along with things, they don’t get what’s going on. Even a fairly unseasoned buyer has a high level of skepticism in this day and age, so throwing out a few buzzwords and talking the talk isn’t going to get you there.

Focus on walking the walk. What would happen if we channeled all that money and time we use towards number manipulation and focused it on being useful? Find a florist for a bride in need. Mention an idea that came to mind that someone might like. Just make people feel good for being them. Give tips. Help. Offer small tokens, write notes. Say hello. Or what about holding up to our promises? Never deliver a day late. Never deliver a dollar short? Simple things, but human acts. Things that make us feel whole. That build community. These are the things that make the difference. These are the things that build loyalty.