The 30% loyalty gap that's costing you clients
I want to share something that completely changed how I think about client retention. Years ago, Professor John Murphy from Manchester Business School shared some research with me that stopped me in my tracks. He found that when clients say they're "Satisfied" with your service — they're only 65% loyal. But when they say they're "Very Satisfied" — they're 95% loyal. That's a 30% difference. From one word. If you have 100 clients who are merely "satisfied": → 35 of them are open to competitors → 30 might leave when a better offer comes along → 35 won't actively recommend you If those same 100 clients were "very satisfied": → Only 5 are at risk → 95 are effectively locked in → Most become advocates who send you referrals Same clients. Completely different outcome. So the question isn't "Are my clients happy?" The question is: "What would it take to move them from satisfied to VERY satisfied?" Here's what I've seen work over 50 years: 1. WOW them, don't just HOW them "HOW" means delivering what they expected. Nothing more, nothing less. "WOW" means exceeding expectations. Finding one thing you can do that they didn't ask for. 2. Stay in contact when you're NOT selling Most professionals only reach out when they want something. Be different. Check in. Share something useful. Show you're thinking about them. 3. Ask "What would make this a 10?" If they're giving you a 7 or 8, find out what a 10 looks like. Then deliver it. Here's the uncomfortable truth: It costs 5-7x more to acquire a new client than to retain an existing one. Yet most of us spend 80% of our energy on acquisition and 20% on retention. Flip that ratio and watch what happens. Your best new clients are your current clients. Treat them that way. I'm curious — what's ONE thing you do to move clients from "satisfied" to "very satisfied"? Drop it in the comments. I'd love to hear what's working for you. 👇