Give the customer a role that
enhances his non-purchase value
The basic precondition for a solid customer relationship is the customer’s emotional attachment with the brand and the organization behind it. One way of reinforcing this bonding is to put your customers into a position that enhances their non-purchase value.
The non-purchase value of a customer is frequently not taken into account when determining the customer lifetime value (CLV). This is partly due to the fact that it is difficult to measure the customer’s reference value. However, there are some metrics that can be used, such as the number of cases in which existing customers play a role in attracting new ones. This role may be based on a written customer reference, or on the customer’s active involvement through company visits, seminar presentations etc.
With the waning credibility of existing promotional tools among members of the public, the customers of the future are increasingly turning to their own toolset in order to form an opinion about the products or services offered by an organization. In doing so they use objective criteria for judging the product or service, as well as subjective criteria such as brand awareness and the way in which they feel the product or service relates to them. In fact, customers attach at least as much importance to the “relationship equity,” i.e. the relational, emotional dimension of a potential collaboration: how does the organization behave towards us/me? The fact that an organization can persuade customers to provide testimonials about their experience makes a positive impression.
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