Imagine this ... Youâre long, loooooong overdue for a haircut. When you finally get to the salon your regular stylist greets you at the front door. âWhat would you like to get done today?â she asks. âJust a trim like always?â Her question irks you a bit. Are you really that predictable? âNo,â you blurt out. âI want the full shebangâa cut and color. And letâs throw in a wax too while weâre at it.â After 2 hours of pampering, you feel like a whole new person. You head to the front desk to pay your bill and catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirrorâyou look great. The stylist swipes your credit card, smiles, and then asks, âRed or white?â âHuh?â you say. âWhat do you mean?â âDo you want red or white?â she repeats. âUh⊠I dunno. White I guess.â She reaches under the desk and hands you a bottle of white wine. âHere you go,â she says. âAnyone who looks as good as you do deserves a toast. Enjoy!â How do you feel at that moment? In today's edition of Why We Buy, we're taking a look at Delight - how delivering unexpected value can drive long-term customer loyalty. Let's get into it.  đ§ The Psychology of Delight The human brain is constantly evaluating our environment. When we encounter something unexpectedâsomething surprisingâweâre thrown off guard. We actually freeze for 1/25th of a second trying to figure out what is happening. Surprise intensifies our emotions, for better or worse. If the surprise is negative, like suddenly getting cut off in traffic, we may feel very angry. Whereas positive surprises, like receiving a free gift, will trigger an intense flood of positive emotions that behavioral economists refer to as âdelight.â Delight is different from âsatisfaction.â Weâre satisfied when an experience meets our expectations. But when it exceeds our expectations, weâre delighted.  đ§ Inside Your Buyer's Mind Your buyer expects a positive outcome when they buy from you. When you deliver on that expectation, theyâre satisfied. But, if you go above and beyond and deliver unexpected value, buyers may be delighted.  Multiple studies show that delightânot satisfactionâdrives brand loyalty. Customers who have a surprisingly delightful experience will purchase more and often tell their friends about it. Therefore delighting buyers is great for the bottom line. The challenge is that once a customer comes to expect getting something extra, it ceases to delight them. This creates both an opportunity and a challenge for brands.  đ€ How To Apply This Alright, so how can we apply this right now to sell more? Give unexpected gifts: Buyers love getting something extra for free. The gift doesnât need to be expensive, but it must be unexpected if you aim to delight. For example, offering customers a small gift or discount on their birthday is a nice gesture, but itâs become quite common. If you really want to delight customers, send them a gift on their half-birthday. That would surprise them. Underpromise and overdeliver: Look for small ways to deliver unexpected value. That could mean delivering a product or finished project earlier than estimated (Apple often does this). Or doing more work than expected without an additional fee. Know when to up the ante: Delivering delight consistently requires innovation. DoubleTree was the first hotel chain to offer guests a free cookie when they checked in. When they started this tradition in 1986, it was novel. Â
But DoubleTreeâs free cookie generated a lot of buzz in the hotel industry, and it wasnât long before other hotel chains followed suit and started offering free cookies as well. Today, free cookies at hotels are somewhat commonplace. And guests returning to a DoubleTree have come to expect them. That means that DoubleTree must do something new if they seek to delight their guests. DoubleTree employees receive special training and are empowered to find unique ways to delight guests. Itâs all part of their C.A.R.E. culture (ie. Caring, Attentive, Responsive, and Empowered).  đ„ The Short of It If you wish to delight buyers, you must surprise them with unexpected value. Customers will grant more loyalty to brands that delight them, but delight is fleeting. Brands must consistently up the ante if they wish to create a wow-worthy experience. Until next time, happy selling! Yours truly, Katelyn
 P.S. The story about the free bottle of wine is true. That actually happened to me! That said, it's worth considering that many people choose not to drink alcohol. If you want to offer a more inclusive gift, booze may not be the way to go. đđ· P.P.S. Are you a freelance writer? Do you enjoy this newsletter? Weâre on the hunt for a kickass writer who can help us to write new Why We Buy newsletters and repurpose old editions to be used across our other channels (ie. Twitter, LinkedIn). The work would begin in the new year. If youâd like to be considered, please complete this quick application form. If we think itâs a fit, weâll be in touch.        This email was sent to  You are receiving this email because you opted-in to our mailing list or attended one of our in-person workshops.Unsubscribe | Forward this email to a friend |