We typically act out of our belief system. What we believe about a person, place, thing, or circumstance will set the course for how we will act upon or relate to it.
What people believe about you or your organization will determine how they act toward you.

Case in point: there was a hotel I stayed at about 25 years ago that delivered a miserable experience for me. It isn’t a large hotel chain, but large enough to be recognized it if I mention the name. I call them the “Nightmare Inn.”

Since then, except for one occasion when I had no other choice, I’ve never stayed there again, I mean, in any of their hotels around the nation. I avoid them like they were the plague.

I believe they are an inadequate, mediocre, uncaring, lousy, unfriendly, and bumbling hotel chain.

Unfair?

Yes.

The truth is, this could have been a fluke. They could be a wonderful, excellent, and caring hotel chain that hold their guests in high regard. But you can’t convince me with the truth.

There are other hotel chains where I prefer to stay because I have consistently experienced good things and because of that I believe the best about them. I’ll just stay there. Why bother to go anywhere else?

What I believe about them determines my actions toward them.

So, here’s the million dollar question:

What do your customers believe about you, your organization and the people that work in your organization? Knowing that determines how they will act.
The greatest thing you can do for your organization is to target the feelings of your customer. That will then determine their experience which in turn will feed their belief system.

That is the key to either loyal customers or customer avoidance.