The Psychology of Delight: The Power of Surprising Your Customers

Have you ever been to a Lush store? It's a cosmetics store about various kinds of wellness and treat-yourself-flair. Once you get used to the overwhelming, headache-inducing smell, you're surrounded by different products that you can explore and try out. I vividly remember that while I was looking at a lotion, one of the saleswomen came up to me and asked if I'd like a hand massage. I had to do a double-take. A hand massage? Of course! Why would I ever say no to a hand massage?

It probably didn't last longer than a minute, but the woman did so well that I needed to buy the lotion so I could do it at home. Unfortunately, I think it's still in its container, and I haven't had a hand massage since. But the point is, I was thoroughly delighted by this experience. So much so that I ended up buying their product.

The Psychology of Delight

Delight is an emotion. When you're able to respond to an experience, it becomes more memorable. And isn't a unique experience precisely what you want to give customers and prospects? According to psychologists, when we feel delighted, it's usually when we've experienced a positive surprise. It's what marketers call "surprise and delight." When you're delighted, it's generally because you were pleasantly surprised by something that you weren't expecting. If a company sends you a gift at an expected timeframe, you're satisfied. But, if they send it to you in the expected timeframe with an additional beanie or coupon for your next purchase, then you're delighted. That's because this brand went above and beyond and exceeded your expectations. And that's what it all boils down to: going the extra mile.

?How to Delight Your Customers and Prospects

Your buyer is expecting a positive outcome when they buy from you. But when you can deliver something unexpected, that leads to being delighted. The secret to delighting your customers and prospects is all in understanding their needs, wants, and aspirations. It's what'll help differentiate you from your customers, and it's also scientifically proven to drive brand loyalty.

1. Solve Their Problems

Going back to the psychology talk, the "pleasure principle" is critical here. It's the instinct to gratify desires and avoid pain. We're programmed to want things as fast as possible. One of my grandpa's favorite jokes goes like this: I asked God for patience...but right now.

With this instant gratification in mind, let's take a website. People want to quickly and succinctly know what your product or service does and how it can solve their pain points. That means you need to have a clear value proposition and no fluff. Including features like a chatbot or FAQ can provide an opportunity for instant gratification but then imagine if you're able to offer next-level customer service or a quick response rather than generic text from a robot? That's delightful.

2. Help Them Succeed

Understand why your customers are coming to you in the first place. Get to know their pain point and then solve for it. Maybe they're not getting the kind of support they were expecting from a current supplier. Maybe they're not getting value for money on their current solution. Maybe they're not getting enough Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and are looking for a better data management platform (DMP). The point is, when you know their pain points and can best solve them, you not only can come up with a solution but even exceed their expectations and give them a better return on investment. Of course, I'm still waiting on my Nike to turn me into a triathlete, but that's a story for another day.

3. Give the Unexpected

I love food. Even more, I love free food. So you can imagine how much I loved the Costco experience of shopping for food and having various food samples to choose from. More and more grocery stores are copying Costco, but I think it's safe to say they're the O.G's in proper food sampling, and it's always a nice gesture. At the time, however, it was a unique experience that made me want to go to Costco over any other grocery store.

It doesn't have to be food-related. It can be a discount on your birthday, a handwritten thank you note for the purchase, champagne while you browse the store; the opportunities are endless. As long as it's a pleasant surprise, you're doing well.

4. Underpromise and Overdeliver

It's about looking for small ways to deliver incredible value. For example, it's providing a product or finished project earlier than estimated. Or it's even doing more work than expected without an additional fee. It's about always keeping this extra mile mindset.

Patagonia is one of the best at this. I recently read this comment on LinkedIn about how a Patagonia customer sent over his jacket to be fixed. Not only was it under no warranty, but they ended up fixing his jacket for free. They've become synonymous with sustainability and fashion, but you can see how walking the talk drives brand loyalty and, most importantly, trust.

5. Take it to the Next Level

In 1986, DoubleTree was the first hotel chain to offer guests free cookies when they checked in. And, they still do. At the time, no other hotel did this, and now you do find, from time to time, chocolate on your pillows, free water, and even recently I had free Rivella (but it wasn't the red color, so they also lost some points there). The fact is, creating and offering something unique can go a long way. The only issue is when customers start to expect to get something extra. Then, you'll always have to ensure you deliver and eventually need to consider something more innovative.

Let's quickly go back to the DoubleTree free cookies. Last December, when I was in Phoenix, I stayed there for two weeks. Every day, they gave me a new cookie and sometimes several. I would then walk to a homeless person to give them my free cookie so they could be delighted. After all, delighting someone doesn't just have to be in the business world. So consider some of these takeaways for your everyday life too.

?Wrapping it Up

The customer journey is constantly being reworked and refined, and a final customer isn't the only one that should be rewarded. Consider mixing up the surprise and delight at various buyer stages (bonus points for doing it at all stages) to keep returning customers. After all, it's cheaper to retain customer loyalty than gain new customers. Of course, going the extra mile to delight your customers does take more work. But those brands will create a better user experience, something more memorable, and beat out competitors.

Now I need to go find a cookie.