Josh Leibner, the author of The Power of Strategic Commitment answered the following question for us:

How can a regular consumer see a business’ commitment when making a purchase?

A few years back I showed a good friend my iPod; he had heard about this gizmo that allowed you to carry around your tunes, but at the time saw no reason to spend a couple of hundred dollars on a souped-up Walkman.

Last weekend, while visiting with that same friend, he crowed nonstop about the joys of exploring little-known singers and constructing playlists to accompany any kind of get-together. His wife had purchased a Mac laptop and an iPad as well, which their 10-year-old uses any time it’s available. He is a de facto evangelist for Apple, and his story is not unique.

Last month I traded cars with a friend so I could use her SUV to move some larger pieces of furniture that would not fit in my Mercedes sedan. Upon switching back, she said, “Wow, that’s a great ride; I will definitely consider one for my next car.”

One last anecdote: I stopped in an old service station recently needing to use the washroom, fully expecting the unpleasantness this might normally entail. Quite to my surprise, the facilities – while not state of the art - were clean, fully stocked, and all in working order. The attendant was cheerful, efficient, helpful and took pride in what he was doing. Assuming he was the owner, I complemented the condition of “his” operation; to my surprise, he said, “I just work here, but I like to keep things clean and keep my customers happy.”

There are plenty of examples I could cite of products, services or encounters with employees that would be counter to those above; wait staff who are rude or stressed out, pushy or discourteous salespeople, or telephone service people who appear more concerned with abiding by absurd rules than ensuring the customer they already have remains loyal and satisfied. (For example, Continental’s recent decision to charge $50.00 when refunding $75.00 for an illness-caused trip cancellation. Maddening!)

What’s the difference? People do not purchase Apple products solely on a features/benefits/price analysis. (OK, some do, but you get the point.) People don’t shop at Costco simply because they save $2.00 on two dozen rolls of toilet paper. There’s something more than price per unit that keeps people coming back, or conversely turns them off even if they are saving a few cents.

Yes, products need to be reliable, but these days that’s not even table stakes. But for Apple the underlying commitment is “Insanely Great.” For Mercedes, it’s “Engineered Like No Other Car in the World.” For Costco, it’s “Convenience. Price. Quality.” (We assume this is Costco’s commitment, because that’s the experience of shopping there!)

Consumers care less about your commercials than about the experience; this is not marketing mumbo jumbo. Do the employees they interact with, and the products and services they encounter, reflect an explicit, compelling declaration? If not, many of them will eventually go elsewhere.

Guest Blogger: Josh Leibner, Author (The Power of Strategic Commitment)