You can have the best product on the market. You can price it competitively. You can have the fastest delivery and the highest quality. And you can still lose customers. Why does this happen? It happens when customers don't feel valued.
This is where a lot of companies get stuck. They focus on what they're selling: the product, the service, and the price point. They neglect what actually determines whether someone becomes a repeat customer: how they're treated along the way.
The data are clear. Microsoft, for example, found that 58% of American consumers will switch companies because of poor customer service. Not because the product was bad. Not because the price was too high. Because of how they were treated.
The Experience Is the Differentiator
Think about Nordstrom. You can buy designer clothing at plenty of retailers. The merchandise is similar. The prices are comparable. Yet Nordstrom is regularly praised by the National Retail Foundation as setting the standard for customer experience. Why? Because shoppers don’t just go there to buy products. They also go there to feel important.
From how employees interact with them to policies designed around convenience and speed, Nordstrom customers get something other retailers don't offer at the same price point: being treated like they matter.
That's the gap most companies miss. When two businesses offer similar products, the experience becomes the main differentiator.
When It Goes Wrong
The negative side is just as powerful. A dirty store with rude staff won't stay in business, no matter how good the product. A vendor who ignores your calls or dismisses your questions loses you as a customer. A company that blames you when something goes wrong (instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes) doesn't get a second chance.
In a marketplace where customers have options, the customer experience is often the deciding factor in whether they stay or leave.
What This Means for Your Vendor Relationships
It’s no different when you are hiring a print partner or marketing services company. You’re not just buying their product. You're entering into a relationship. You're expecting their team to understand your business, solve your problems, and deliver on their promises.
That relationship starts the moment of first contact. How are you greeted? How quickly is your inquiry handled? Do you feel like a priority or a transaction?
It continues through your interactions. When you have questions, are they answered promptly? Are the suggestions genuine (designed to benefit your business)? Or designed to increase the invoice?
All of this matters even more when things go wrong. Because, every once in a while, things do go wrong. Even to the best and most well-intentioned of us. The question is: Does the vendor take responsibility and make it right? Or do they deflect and defend?
Building the Right Relationship
Great vendor relationships are built on respect. You want to work with someone who does the following:
- Treats you professionally from day one, making you feel valued before you've even placed an order.
- Listens to your goals and offers guidance genuinely designed to help your business, regardless of the profit margin.
- Takes full responsibility when something is on them and fixes it without argument.
- Understands that you're investing in them not just for their services, but because you feel they care about your success.
Many companies claim to offer great service. Fewer actually deliver it consistently. The ones that do understand a simple truth: In a competitive market, product quality and price matter for the initial sale. But experience is what builds loyalty over time.
What's your experience been with your current vendors? Are they treating you the way you deserve to be treated?
