Make It a Habit to Gain the Cumulative Advantage over Competition

Customer Satisfaction is the minimum standard. Customer Loyalty is the desired state, right?

Not according to A.G. Lafley, the recently retired CEO of Procter & Gamble and Roger L. Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Lafley and Martin are the coauthors of “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works.”

As customers, we want our purchase decisions to be easy, and we actually make most purchases automatically. We are creatures of habit. That’s why the subscription model has become so popular in so many industries. We don’t need to consciously decide about routine purchases.

It’s all about gaining Cumulative Advantage — once you gain a small advantage over the competition, it grows over time as purchasing your product or service becomes a habit to customers.

It involves making it easy to buy and making your product memorable:

• Consistent elements of product design that can be seen from a distance so buyers can find the product quickly.
• Distinctive colors and shapes for the product and logo to make it easier for customers to make the habitual choice.
• Memorable messaging in as few words as possible.

Instead, sellers tend to over complicate things. Too many words. Industry jargon. Boring, safe imagery. Lack of understanding of what the customers really want and buy. Unwillingness to ask customers what they think, to listen to them and tweak the product or service when necessary.

Cut the BS. Focus on gaining the cumulative advantage. Learn and leverage the habits of your customers and prospects then make buying your product one of their habits.