He developed one of the world’s most popular podcasts by interviewing and breaking down the strategies of top performers, athletes, scientists and CEOs.
At this point, the only thing Tim Ferriss hasn’t captured on a microphone is the voice of the customer.
Yet recently the host of the namesake ‘Tim Ferriss Show’ and author of the Four-Hour Workweek published a blog post designed to help entrepreneurs better understand customer mindsets.
In ‘On the Importance of Desperate Customers,” Ferriss reflects on his rereading of a book called Pattern Breakers by investor Michael Maples Jr.
The crux of the book (or at least the chapter Ferriss is highlighting) suggests that startups need to find customers driven by an almost feverish sense of urgency.
Here’s how he sums it up:
Don’t ask whether people like what you’re planning to make.
People can love or hate what you’re creating, but you don’t want to land in the mild middle.
This applies to writing books, building companies, making crochet socks on Etsy, and a million other projects and paths.
Ferris is really writing about driving demand, but he neglects to explore what happens when those desperate customers finally show up.
In the customer experience (CX) community, we tend to talk not about desperation but instead about strategies to evoke feelings of surprise and delight, or even brand love.
Desperation feels like an attempt to tap primarily into negative emotions in the earliest stages of building a customer relationship.
Assuming this is a good idea, the CX responding to that desperation should accomplish several things at once:
- It should make it fast and easy to give those desperate customers what they need.
- It should build confidence and trust that the brand in question will support them after the purchase.
- It might also be a good idea to create an experience that turns desperation into a calmer, enjoyable sense of fulfillment.
I make the latter point because desperation is often associated with a sense of panic and fear. It certainly contributes to high expectations, which means conversion is not simply about getting them to pay, but providing a level of service that turns desperation into loyalty.
Maybe desperation is another way of talking about customer pain points and needs, but the experience brands deliver should feel the opposite of desperate. It should be thoughtfully designed, offering grace under fire and filled with patience.
Sure, perhaps customers should really, really want what you’re offering. But I think even Tim Ferriss would agree that desperate times call for strong CX measures.