Sometimes the term Net Promoter can seem to get in the way of a really great idea - the idea that happiness is a business model; that the best way to grow your business is to make your customers smile.

Yes, smile. Forget for a moment arcane discussions about the metric itself or the corporate babble-speak around associated business processes.  And look at Net Promoter for what it is; a business ethic that is based on the simple premise that doing business for good (delighting customers) is good for business (organic growth).

Take Chris Askew, from Lenovo who is up on stage now, talking about Lenovo’s Customer Delight Program that has substantially increased the number of smiling customers (NPS up 16%) all whilst trimming costs by 15%.  Chris’ words could be those of the great philosopher John Stuart Mill, author of On Liberty, and who developed “the greatest happiness principle” - that when faced with a choice, we must first consider the likely consequences of potential actions and, from that, choose to do what we believe will generate most pleasure.  This is the moral code that Lenovo follows - and as a result Lenovo is growing their business by making customers happy, and receiving some 39,000 gifts per month from happy Lenovo users.  And it is also this moral code (utilitarianism if you want a label) of maximizing customer happiness that is at the heart of Net Promoter.

So, take the cue from Lenovo if you want a cocktail party version of what Net Promoter is all about - it’s about making happiness your business model.