Most people believe customer loyalty is built when everything goes right.
Smooth systems.
No mistakes.
No complaints.
That sounds sensible. Yes?
It’s also imperfect.
Loyalty isn’t tested when things go well. It’s tested when something goes wrong.
That’s When Trust Is Put On Trial.
Last summer, I hired a car for a coaching trip to Ireland. Everything was booked and prepaid. At the desk, I was told I needed a physical credit card. Not Apple Pay. Not a digital wallet. A piece of plastic.
I didn’t have one.
No apology.
No explanation.
No attempt to help.
Just, ‘You can’t hire the car.’
I left without a car, without a refund and with a decision made. I’ll never use Europcar again.
Not because something went wrong. Things go wrong all the time.
But when it did, nobody saw me, nobody softened the moment and nobody stepped forward with a solution.
Let’s lighten this newsletter 🙏.
Years ago, we arrived at an apartment in Ibiza that was horrendous. The brochure images and real life were poles apart. It was 8 pm, the company we’d booked through was unavailable, but there was a ‘local agent’.
Her name was Marimar.
I called, she came straight over, took one look and said, ‘This is unacceptable. I’m going to sort this now.’
She did.
We stayed elsewhere that night and moved into a better place the next day, for the same price.
When I wrote See, Smile, Say Hello, I wanted it to be about behaviour, not slogans.
In these circumstances, it works like this:
See the problem properly and the person(s) experiencing it
Smile, meaning calm, warmth and respect - not forced cheerfulness
Say Hello, meaning ownership, communication and human interaction
Marimar is the queen of See, Smile, Say Hello.
And for the next eight years, we booked directly with her. We recommended her to dozens of people. She became our friend.
That loyalty didn’t come from perfection. It came from recovery.
When trust is put on trial, that’s where loyalty is decided.
Be Brilliant!
Michael
Do you have an example of where your loyalty was won or lost? Please share in the comments.
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