Here are the seven things I’ve heard over and over from shoppers when they talk about the retailers they tell other people about. They are literally walking out the door of their favourite stores looking for someone to tell about how good it is. They’re called “promoters” and there had been a lot of discussion suggesting this is one of the most important numbers you need to worry about in a business.

Most retail is unfortunately pretty average. I think this can be put down to one major fact: the barriers to entry are actually quite low. it’s easy for anybody to do it. Space, fixtures, finishes, products, store staff, even supply chain and IT – all pretty easy to buy off the shelf.

So good is easy, but how hard is great? Well, to be honest, great is not at all hard… it just takes a little focus, a little passion and a little inside knowledge – from shoppers.

How do you become extraordinary. How do you get people recommending you to family and friends? When you talk to people about stores they love this is what you hear:

“I know why they exist. I know what they do. Most importantly though I know what makes them special and different. Everything they do seems to reinforce this.”

“The things they do, the way the store looks, the little things are memorable and stick in my mind.”

“As a store they put substance over style.”

“There is always something happening that is new and different.”

“The staff are knowledgeable and passionate.”

“I end up spending a lot of time in the store, lingering, looking, reading.”

“There is a store and a website and the two work together seamlessly.”

There you have it.  The inside knowledge. The difference between good and great… between good and extraordinary. If you’re in retail, go for extraordinary. You’ll get more promoters and make more money.

Recently I have been becoming more curious about where the web is at for the mainstream population as opposed to the leading edge innovators and early adopters.

This is one of the best visual representations I’ve seen about people’s intent: www.ruderfinn.com/rfrelate/intent.

Not surprisingly as humans we are using the web to do what we have wanted to do for centuries – learn, play and socialise. This is probably not earth shattering in itself, but good a reminder for us involved in customers and the experiences they have with businesses, that we shouldn’t lose sight of the core human drivers.

Do you know the real intent of your customers and potential customers in this channel? If your answer  is “No” or “Not sure”, you need to spend time getting close(r) to your customers. Build your business through eyes not yours. The best way to bring the customer into the centre of your business is to develop personas for them. This brings them to life and they can then metaphorically ‘join’ your management team.