How HubSpot delights their customers
Christina Garnett, Former Principal Marketing Manager at HubSpot, shares her process of delighting customers.
It’s hard to pursue something creative without basic needs like food, water, and shelter.
That's what Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is about.
But it's also true for your customers — you can't delight them if you haven't met their basic desires.
That's where Christina Garnett’s Hierarchy of Customer Delight comes in. She is HubSpot's Principal Marketing Manager of Offline Community and Advocacy and writer and host of
. Today, she digs into her Hierarchy of Customer Delight and how she applies it at HubSpot.
1. Survival and support lay the foundation.
Survival and support are at the very base of the Hierarchy of Customer Delight. You've got to meet your customers' needs and expectations of what your product can do. And if something goes wrong, you've got to provide the support they need to address any issues.
"Nothing's perfect. If something goes wrong, are you there for them? Do they feel safe? Do they feel like they could be taken care of if something unexpected happens?"
This foundation of support is evident in HubSpot's stellar customer service and their "Ideas Forum," where customers can report issues and suggest product improvements.
2. Show customers love and belonging.
The next level is about community and making customers "feel seen and heard." How do you amplify the voices of your best customers? How do you connect with them online? How do you reward and praise them?
For example, to make customers feel valued, Christina amplifies their content on social media. She says:
"If you looked at my LinkedIn page, 90% of my content is sharing other people's content. It shows that HubSpot sees them and that we care for them."
3. Empower customers to become their best selves.
The highest level of the hierarchy focuses on unlocking your customers' potential. As Christina puts it:
"How can we make sure that the work we're doing is continuing to solve for the customer? How can we take an external opportunity and have it take care of an internal need?"
For example, Christina enables passionate customers to "become their final form" by having them teach boot camps for HubSpot Academy or inviting them to be podcast hosts at the company's big event, Inbound. As she explains, "Who else is going to be able to give him that opportunity but HubSpot?" This unlocks opportunities customers can't get anywhere else.
The key is understanding what motivates your biggest fans and enabling them to become even better versions of themselves. This creates immense value and sticky retention.
That’s all for now, friends!
Have a powered-up day,
Ramli John
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