Convenience vs Fidelity
You are selling something. Think of it this way – what do you do for a living? Not just how do you get a paycheck, but what do you really do for a living?
Todd Sattersten wrote an interesting e-book called Fixed to Flexible. In it he makes this observation he calles the Maney Continuum. As you read the quote below, don’t necessarily think “this is dry business stuff” but ask yourself where on the continuum you find your business, job, ministry, even what you offer your family.
Technology writer Kevin Maney makes a keen observation: He says successful companies always make a strategic choice between providing convenience and fidelity.
Wal-Mart delivers convenience. The big box retailer makes it easy to buy from them through their “everyday low prices”, focused product lines, and near ubiquitous presence.
Harvard University delivers fidelity. The “product” is really an experience. The Ivy League school possesses an aura of exclusivity and prestige. Being a Harvard graduate forms part of the customer’s identity.
Maney is clear though. Companies must make a choice. The dual pursuit of convenience and fidelity causes companies to chase a value mirage and over time these companies are sucked into a place of increasing irrelevance where customers understand less and less why they need those products. Marketing expert John Moore believes this is what has happened to Starbucks as the company has moved away from their fidelity based roots but not fully embraced being a provider of convenience.
If this sounds familiar, convenience versus fidelity is just another way of describing transactional versus relationship-driven businesses.
Are you offering something for everyone at the lowest transactional cost (in the family situation: are you just doing what is convenient), or such a high quality that it may cost time, sacrifice, and deep relationships? There may be room for something in the middle, but the middle should push towards either end.
I actually disagree with this. Going through marketing classes in college, the big box retailers like Wal-Mart see their convenience as the experience. The same goes for Starbucks. There is one on every street corner or at the exit of the subway station on your way to work (convenience) and the coffee should be the same no matter which one you go to (experience). This is what makes them so popular. I know that I can get the same experience if I’m in PA or in FL. The same is true for Redbox and McDonalds (although your experience may differ)