Rah! Rah! Home Town Bank!(customer service techniques for banks)

• Author: Bell, Chip R.

How to Cultivate Obnoxiously Devoted Customers

They wear ugly razorback hog hats! They paint their faces red and holler, "Woo pig sooey" in the most obnoxious, uncivilized way. Most are completely sober. Many wore business suits to work the day before. But, on a fall Saturday afternoon at the University of Arkansas, these normally sane people engage in the lunatic ritual of devotion--to a football team. They are more than simply fond of their Arkansas Razorbacks: They love 'em! The same is true for cheese heads, deadheads, Yankee fans, etc.

What if these enthusiasts were your bank's customers? What would "wear a funny hat and paint your face" fidelity look like for your bank? And, what would you need to do to inflame such zealous commitment? How do you unleash obnoxious devotion from your customers?

The last question suggests that there are different levels of customer devotion. Loyal customers come back, buy more, pay more, forgive more and champion more. But, these are actions appropriate to a fan, not a lunatic, go-nuts, follow-you-to-the-ends-of-the-earth type zealot! This is a level of loyalty beyond devotion. I call it "customer love."

"Who are the customers you would label the devoted zealots of your organization?" I asked a number of the companies with whom I had consulted. Surprisingly, some required a rigorous definition of this upper devotion stratum only to discover they probably did not have any. Others, like the Ritz Canton, Nordstrom, USAA, Harley Davidson and Walt DisneyWorld could easily identify their borderline groupies. Interviewing these aficionados provided a basis for my theories about "customer love."

Customer love is not about a sure-fire formula guaranteed to be a hit simply by mixing the elements and stirring with enthusiasm. With that said, there were consistent characteristics that showed up frequently in connection with these "obnoxiously devoted customers." The model described below provides the parts required to maximize customer attraction. The strength of any part is dependent on the customer.

Enlistment: Customers care when they share

When I was growing up, "dinner on the ground" was a phrase that meant participation. While "dinner on the ground" went with all family reunions, this special form of community most often occurred after certain church services. It was an event for little boys to run and holler unsupervised since their caretakers were occupied with setup and cleanup. Women got to show off a new recipe; men compared their prowess with baseball trivia. You went home after eating way too much fried chicken and homemade ice cream. This "everyone bring something" event helped people feel more interdependent. And, it was a sad day for this love feast when someone...