Remember the old saying, “Little things can make a big difference.” We all have examples from our own experience of the little things that make us loyal to certain stores, products and services. Or make us never go back.

One such example for me is my cellular provider. I am sure you remember how phone companies locked you into long-term contracts and rates that would remain high with no relief unless you paid a penalty to get out of the contract, usually by switching providers. Where is the benefit to the business in that? Make a little more in the short term but lose the customer forever after only a year or two. It’s no wonder that providers were constantly churning customers.
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It was recently reported by industry tracker NPD that smartphones running Google’s Android software were the Q2 top sellers among consumers in the United States. It is an amazing feat for Google and it made me think about how innovative and savvy their move to the mobile market was…the second time around.
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I recently received an e-mail from my long-time car dealership (www.buddssaab.ca) announcing the exciting new (old) direction for Saab, “Spyker Chief, Victor Muller, says he can spark a similar renaissance in a Swedish brand once renowned for its innovative design and technology. ‘We’re going to be completely different to how GM dealt with Saab,’ he says. ‘It used to be a cult brand and it can be again. We don’t need to go out and find new customers – we just need to win back the ones we’ve lost,’ he says. ‘Saab customers were the most loyal and educated in the industry’. The fact that they left, means they must have been disappointed.”

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