What are (super) promoters and how can they be recognized? Why should you do so in the first place? The answers can be found in this first blog entry in a series of 7.
This is the first blog in a series of 7 in which we will go into detail about how you can deliver the best service to your customers. With practical examples and tips we will help you to trigger your customer’s enthusiasm and to make, and keep, your company as customer and service oriented as possible. Because with the best service, your customer satisfaction will rocket and you will start generating enthusiastic clients, promoters, and even ‘super promoters’.
What are (super) promoters and how can they be recognized?
Often the focus of companies who measure NPS and want to better their service lies with detractors and solving complaints. The enthusiastic customers and employees, or promoters and ‘super promoters’, are hardly given a second thought. Yet, they promote the company without even being asked to recommend it and thus pass on the good name to others who will follow and subsequently generate sales growth. If you as an organization are able to understand your (super) promoters and are able to hold on to them, you can gain a large competitive advantage.
What is the difference between an promoter and a super promoter?
The term ‘super promoter’ was created by Rijn Vogelaar who wrote the book: ‘The Super promoter – The Power of Enthusiasm’. In his book he explains the difference between a promoter and a super promoter:
- Promoters are enthusiastic clients that have given the company a high recommendation through metrics such as the NPS, rating the company a 9 or 10 on the recommendation question. However, they are not so likely to actually recommend the company, brand or product within their social network. So they may be enthusiastic, but do not have the power to actually persuade people.
- Super promoters on the other hand do have the power to persuade others. This is recognizable by the following 3 traits:
- They are genuinely enthusiastic about the company, brand, or product.
- They communicate this enthusiasm with others in their social network.
- They have influence within their social network and drive growth.
“A super promoter is an enthusiastic person who shares or challenges their enthusiasm and subsequently influences others.”
How can you identify your super promoters?
The NPS recommendation question is a good source for identifying enthusiastic customers, but the question of whether they actually spread this enthusiasm can be answered using the Social Sharing Metric (SSM). Using the Influence Metric (IFM), you can find out whether the customer also has a certain degree of influence within their social network or company. You can find out how these metrics work in Rijn Vogelaar’s book.
In addition to these statistics, you can also conduct online research by looking for customers who actively and spontaneously promote your company via blogs, social media, etc. Also, do not ignore your internal sources such as customer service or interactions between employees and enthusiastic customers. Together, these sources provide insight into which customers are truly enthusiastic and fit the profile of a super promoter. These do not only have to be customers; super promoters can also be employees, management, or even opinion leaders, social media influencers, unions, or journalists.
Embrace your super promoters!
Now that you know how to recognize a super promoter, it is time to actually acknowledge or even embrace them. “As a company, you must be willing to give up a large part of your control and take the super promoter extremely seriously,” according to Rijn. “Companies often find this scary because the super promoter can also exhibit undesirable behavior.” The example below from DTG (De Telefoongids) proves the opposite:
In the article ‘Give a shit. That’s how you make an impact ’ by journalist Janine Sterenborg on Marketingfacts, there is a striking example of embracing super promoters. In recent years, DTG (De Telefoongids) has undergone a complete cultural shift from ‘customers need us’ to a company that puts customers completely at the center. Where customers previously advertised annually in the Telefoongids without asking questions, in 2013 they suddenly questioned its added value. DTG went looking for their DNA and arrived at ‘making the customer findable.’ This is how they ended up in the digital world and now focus on online findability and developing traffic-generating websites. DTG was saved from downfall primarily by listening to highly enthusiastic customers and by presenting all initiatives to them. But also by stimulating the enthusiasm of employees with the super promoter academy (more on this in blog #3).
The 20/80 rule
Rijn: “Research shows that only 20% of the Dutch population has the personality type suitable to be a super promoter, and thus 80% do not. The 20/80 rule applies here too. If you focus 80% of your time on the 20% enthusiastic customers, you achieve more than spending 80% of your time on the 80% less enthusiastic customers. ” How you can focus more on these super promoters will be discussed in the next blog post.
Ten steps to a customer-centric organization
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