NPS Leaders Always Get the Benefit of the Doubt

info@netpromoter.com — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:08:20 GMT

OK, it's funny (and not true, of course). But, at the risk of not just letting good humor stands without interpretation, there is a lesson for marketers.

If you are a loyalty leader, you get license from the market. Your mistakes are forgiven. A bad service experience is considered by customers to be a fluke – just bad luck. Even a poorly conceived product is assumed to be a work of genius. We know that high NPS companies don’t just enjoy more people who are willing to recommend. We know that they also have a greater proportion who are likely to recommend – a virtuous circle of word of mouth. The assumption is that you are good at what you do.

The flip side is tough work. Low NPS brands have to work harder, build better products and deliver superior services in order to compete. They need to overcome a deficit in positive word of mouth. Customers tend to believe that a positive experience was a fluke – they don’t always reward good service that you might actually deliver. It’s a vicious circle – the assumption is that you aren’t good at what you do.

Trends are hard to change in either direction. The solution? Never let yourself get out of “NPS Position” in your industry hierarchy. Fall outside the leadership circle for any period of time and it’s a lot harder to climb back in.

Richard's and Laura's Blog

NPS Leaders Always Get the Benefit of the Doubt