Is your brand as appreciated as an extra button

Martha Bartlett Piland | MB Piland Advertising + Marketing

The extra button brand is the one who gets a customer by when he’s in a pinch. It's the brand that helps a customer save face. It's the brand that has your back.

Deliver that kind of service, and you’re the life saver that builds unquestionable loyalty.

Offering added value can cost you very little—or nothing—and yield long term ROI. It's what helps you stand out from the noisy pack.

design an extra button mentalityIt's easy if you think about it: what would YOU as your customer appreciate? For more inspiration, see what customers have told you in surveys. Here are some idea starters:

• have crisp dollar bills and a nice envelope for when a customer wants to present cash to her staff

• honor your warranty, even if it expired recently

• have breath mints or candy at the reception desk

• give a special online discount code with the customer’s name in it

• offer free gift wrap

• help take items out to their cars

• wash their windows at your drive-thru

• excuse the late fee for the customer who is never late

• pay attention to your social media and come to the rescue when you can

• make an exception

• have convenient hours—be accessible when customers need you

• say thank you

create a patternOffering extra value shouldn't be a holiday-only occurrance. And it doesn't happen by happenstance. Consciously create a culture where being a customer's hero is the goal.

Don't forget: employees and suppliers are customers, too. Do you have their backs?

Teach your employees to help you make this happen. And make it easy. Don’t make it like the stereotypical salesman who has to “ask the manager." Train, define parameters and let employees use their best judgement. They'll rarely disappoint.

Martha Bartlett Piland

President + CEO of MB Piland Advertising + Marketing

Inventor of TRANSFORMOTION™ in a Box Author of “Culturing Creative”