A few days ago, around 11:30 pm at night, I closed my laptop and logged off. As I was standing up, I had a small light bulb moment: the businesses I work with all follow a very distinct growth pattern. Great brands have very, very happy customers.
I sat down and wrote this LinkedIn post with my thoughts.
Happy Customers Build Great Brands: But at What Cost?
What does it cost you to grow your business? What does it actually cost you? It shouldn’t cost you your brand, and it shouldn’t cost you your customers.
Let’s dive in.
When we refer to the brand, I don’t mean a “sexy logo” on the wall. I mean what your customers say about you; that is your brand.
As a business leader, particularly in the initial phases, it can be simple to become overwhelmed by the drive for growth at all costs and expansion. (I know this more than anyone)
You need guidance, tactics, frameworks, and plans that promise to help you achieve the growth mode you aspire for. However, at its core, growth stems from two main sources: acquiring customers or pipelines at a sustainable rate and establishing brand authority. If you can achieve these correctly, you will be on your way to creating a long-lasting business.
But when growth is put on steroids and businesses become hyper-focused on building pipelines and growing awareness, they sometimes leave out the magic sauce. Customers are a business's lifeline, and happy customers will support your growth goals more than any other influence. And often, in our race to “grow,” we don’t measure actual customer “happiness.”
But the golden question is: how do you achieve that balance?
The most overlooked yet simplest answer is often right in front of us: happy customers build great brands.
Why Customer Acquisition is the First Building Block
In the early stages of growth, every scrappy business leader knows that finding customers at a profitable rate (ROAS) is essential. Without a pipeline of new customers, even the most innovative product or service can quickly fail. That pipeline becomes the fuel that keeps the engine of your business running.
Here are my 3 lessons for finding happy customers and building great brands. They are simple but practical.
Lesson #1: Finding the Fit
There’s more to business than just finding customers. It's about discovering the right ones, the ones who fit your product or service.
If the customers you are attracting do not truly match your brand and offering, investing in advertising, hiring top salespeople, and giving discounts will not lead to growth. As Simon Sinek often points out: Discounts cost you more in the long term as they aggressively force you into choosing something you don’t actually need, leading to the wrong fit, and the wrong relationship.
Start with why, why the customer, why the offer, and why the product. Happy customers are customers that fit.
Real sustainable customer acquisition occurs when individuals connect with your business's values —when they view your product as a way to solve their issue rather than just another choice.
Acquiring customers is more than just funneling them in aggressively; it involves providing an experience that encourages them to stick around and come back. That’s the foundation of growth.
Lesson #2: Your Brand Authority is The Trust Factor
While making the customer fit is crucial, it’s not enough on its own. To sustain growth and happy customers over time, your brand needs to have authority in the marketplace. This authority comes not from self-promotion but from delivering value to your customers. If they are satisfied and happy, they will do the marketing for you. And this is the value of happy customers.
Consider brand authority as the compass directing your business. It is what differentiates you from your rivals, providing a motive for customers to select you not only today but also in the future. Even with the best pipeline, it will not hold if there is no trust. Individuals do not only make purchases of items; they invest in promises of worth and resolutions to their issues.
3 simple ways Brands can increase their brand authority:
- Give back to the industry or market
- Invest into innovations
- Deliver on your promises
Lesson #3: Less is More
Sometimes businesses can grow at such a rate that they want to do everything and serve everyone. This pace of growth is great for the books but terrible for building a sustainable business model beyond just the numbers.
Focus on reducing the area of reach and put effort into the areas of impact and your “sweet spot”. Often, businesses in the effort of fulfilling a boardroom strategy, will do as much as possible to meet growth goals. Often, the underlying service or product that got from 0 to 1 is overlooked, and the “why” behind that initial stage of success or breakthrough is overlooked.
Sometimes, brands need to consider doing less, but what they do, they do better.
Happy Customers: The Bridge Between Growth and Authority
The magic happens when you combine customer acquisition and brand authority without losing your “why.”
Happy customers are your most powerful tool in fueling long-term growth and increasing brand authority. Why? Because they become advocates. They share their experiences with their network, leave glowing reviews, and, most importantly, return to buy from you again.
Consider this: each satisfied customer is like a small, well-tuned advertising engine or marketing channel. If your customers are happy, they will spread the word about your business. It is more than just word-of-mouth marketing; it involves brand reputation. Satisfied customers not only attract new clients for you but they also establish your expertise in your specific industry.
Understanding Timing And Balance Is Key For Growth.
Achieving growth requires finding a balance. Knowing when to increase efforts and when to scale back is key, not only for revenue opportunities but also for improving brand awareness and overall strategy. Early in your business growth, the focus might be on getting that pipeline flowing. Later, as you build a reputation, brand authority becomes more critical.
But happy customers will also be the grading factor of your long-term brand greatness.
Happy customers will help you regulate your growth, and bring you back to your why.
Growth Infrastructure: Build to Succeed
A common pitfall is trying to grow too quickly without having the infrastructure to truly support it. This is where timing plays an important role. Can you scale customer service to match the rate of acquisition? Do you have the resources to uphold the promises your brand makes? Accelerating growth is great, but only if you can sustain it.
If your growth and delivery can align, your chances of happy customers are much higher.
As pointed out earlier in this article, it’s not just about having more customers; it’s about having the right customers and ensuring they are satisfied with your product or service. If you can’t meet their needs, that initial burst of growth could be short-lived. On the flip side, focusing too much on brand authority without a strategy for customer acquisition could leave your pipeline running dry without the opportunity to create happy customers.
Customer acquisition and brand authority are not mutually exclusive. They are symbiotic, and one feeds into the other. But the real trick is knowing when to emphasize each one to achieve happy customers and build a truly great brand.
Allow The Market To Handle Your Marketing Efforts.
For ambitious leaders who are still keeping a low profile and facing the daily grind of establishing a brand, remember to demonstrate value and allow the market to “handle your marketing”.
Happy customers can be your competitive advantage in today's marketplace as businesses vie for attention. Great brands are built on happy customers.
Roads to Rome: Happy Customers & Great Brands
Ultimately, the key to business expansion is straightforward yet impactful: satisfied clients establish strong reputations. They indirectly increase your pipeline and contribute to brand credibility with their loyalty and trust. As a business leader, your top priority should be centered on building a great brand grounded on happy customers.
Happy customers will build you a great brand. And great brands are built by happy customers. All roads lead to Rome.
