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ReadersSpeak

A book on customer engagement [customers] can quickly and easily
find a cheaper, faster, sexier version
ottie DeHart, owner of DeHart & Co., emailed us about business of what you offer. For another, cus-
consultant Robbie Kellman Baxter's new book, The Membership tomers simply expect more. They
Economy: Find Your Superusers, Master the Forever Transaction, and demand fast solutions to their prob-
D Build Recurring Revenue, which she thought would interest our read- lems, great experiences, and plenty
ers since merchant stickiness is of perennial importance to ISOs and merchant of personalization and perks. Final-
level salespeople. ly, it doesn't take much to lose a cus-
tomer. They don't even have to have
"Capturing a customer is hard enough," DeHart wrote. "Keeping that customer a bad experience; many customers
is even tougher. For one thing, so many competitors crowd the marketplace that leave because of perceived indiffer-
ence on the part of salespeople."

According to DeHart, Baxter be-
lieves companies must be intentional
about keeping customers engaged in
using their products or services, and
constant engagement is now impera-
tive for creating relationships with
customers that last.

"Whether they realize it or not,
customers crave more value from
their relationship with brands, and
brands must find ever more inno-
vative ways to provide it," DeHart
wrote. "Once you get customers
emotionally invested they will stick
with your brand, buy more and
spread the word about you to other
potential customers. (This provides
much greater ROI than your efforts
to acquire new customers.)"

DeHart said the push for exception-
al customer experiences is part of a
shift toward what Baxter calls the
"membership economy." The mem-
bership economy model is based on
a "customer-centric strategy using
topics like subscription price, inclu-
siveness and digital platforms that
draw people in and win their loy-
alty," DeHart added. "People today
expect to be engaged, and if they
don't experience engagement with
your organization, they will find it
somewhere else."
Do you have a recommendation
for your peers?

Have you discovered a book, pro-
gram or new partnership opportu-
nity that has been good for your pro-
fessional development? Tell us about
it at greensheet@greensheet.com.

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