Quality products inspire loyalty
You’ve held yourself to high standards in order to get where you are today, as a person and as a small business owner. As Tony says, “Knowing you have failed to live up to your own standards is the ultimate pain, knowing that you have fulfilled your highest vision is the ultimate pleasure.” You want to fulfill that vision, live your purpose and ultimately achieve your peak state – in business and in life. To accomplish your greatest business goals, you need raving fan customers. And to inspire customer loyalty and retention, you need quality products.
You can probably think of brands that are known for their quality: Apple computers last forever and aren’t prone to viruses; Hondas and Toyotas are high-mileage wonders. But you don’t have to be a multi-billion-dollar global giant to learn how to improve the quality of products or services. You just need to turn your “shoulds” into “musts” and make quality products a priority.
What are quality products?
Quality products must satisfy a customer need. If your customer buys your product and it doesn’t do what they need it to do, it has already failed. Scissors that don’t cut and toasters that don’t toast are not quality products, because they don’t fulfill the need for which they were created.
But quality products don’t just do what they’re supposed to do – they do it better than others and they hold up over time, requiring fewer repairs and lasting longer than competitors. You can improve the quality of a product by making it more efficient and more reliable than other products on the market. Your Sony headphones sound crystal clear, your Samsung TV turns on when you need it and your Canon camera takes sharp, cutting-edge photos. All of these brands also outlast the competition. These are all companies that constantly work on ways to improve product quality – because it’s that important to their brand.
Why are quality products important?
Raving fan customers are always the key to business success. Quality products and services – those that reliably fulfill a customer need – create trust in your brand. Trust leads to customer retention. Why would a consumer buy a different brand when they know yours is reliable? This increases your profits – and that’s the goal of any business. It’s that simple: raving fan customers will only rave about quality products, those that fulfill their needs and are efficient and dependable. You must always make sure you’re putting your customer first.
Have you ever recommended a quality product you love to a friend? You’re a raving fan customer! Customer loyalty leads to word of mouth (or in today’s landscape, word via social media) recommendations that are essential to a brand’s growth. In one Nielsen study, 83% of respondents said they trust the recommendations of friends and family. Only 48% trust online video ads and 46% trust ads on social networks. Word of mouth affects your bottom line – so how do you get those valuable recommendations? You must make your company talkably different. Quality products that outshine the competition are one thing that will get your customers talking – and recommending your business.
How to improve the quality of products or services
Take feedback seriously.
Don’t fall in love with your product – fall in love with your customers and they’ll lead you to create quality products. When you truly listen to your customers and take their feedback seriously, you’ll learn to anticipate their needs. Giving your customers what they want before they even know they want it is one of the essential ways to improve product quality.
Keep records.
You cannot know what you need to improve if you don’t know what’s going wrong. There’s a reason customer service calls are recorded, and there are reporting systems in place for nearly every business that deals directly with customers. When you keep records, you can see patterns that develop over time, as well as similar complaints that crop up repeatedly. Then you can prioritize and propose solutions.
Set specific goals.
“Don’t should all over yourself,” as Tony says. Turn your “shoulds” into “musts” by setting SMART goals. They’ll help you find clarity of purpose and refine your vision as you work toward creating quality products. Tony also says, “Progress equals happiness,” and you can only see your progress when you have specific goals to work toward.
Make the investment.
Whether you need to train your employees in customer service or invest in research and development to correct product flaws, you can improve the quality of a product by committing to the investment up front. Providing proper training and funding will also motivate employees by showing them that you think they – and your product – are worth the investment.
Create a culture of innovation.
Constant and strategic innovation is one of the Seven Forces of Business Mastery. The most innovative companies find ways to add more value than anyone else, through quality products, services and delivery. Great leaders create a culture in which original ideas and a commitment to quality thrive.
Learn more about the Seven Forces of Business Mastery and how they apply to your business – and to creating quality products – at one of Tony’s live, in-person events, Business Mastery. It’s time to take massive action in order to see massive results in your product quality, your customer retention and your bottom line.
Ready to learn how quality products help your business?
Learn how to use quality products to improve your business with Tony Robbins’ 7 Forces of Business Mastery free content series.