Don't Be Afraid to Make Changes to Your Loyalty Strategy in 2020

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By: Bill Hanifin, CLMP™ |

Posted on January 1, 2020

Celebrating the New Year is an annual ritual that can be a powerful influencer for the upcoming year, or it can be just another perfunctory element of your year-end to-do list. How it plays out is one hundred percent dependent on your attitude and approach.

We like to think of the New Year as a time to take stock, evaluate progress, and make adjustments to guide future action. Think of it as a making half-time adjustments in a game that has a long way to go. I don’t know a good coach who would discard the playbook at halftime just because the game is not going his or her way. I do know the best in the business (any sport) are the ones who have the courage to adjust in real time to change the course of a game or a season, and create a lasting legacy.

We’re using a football analogy here since, well, it’s that time of year. You could adapt the analogy to any sport of your liking, as there’s something compelling about sports that applies so well to business. Maybe it’s the visceral nature of competition, the satisfaction of being part of a strong team, or the reinforcing notion that victory is always within reach if you don’t give up.

Those that prepare by gathering the right players on the team and create a philosophy that you’ll stick with for a season or more, establish the consistency needed to execute well. Those with the courage to make needed changes to personnel or to update the game plan are by definition keeping the long-range objectives above the impact of short-term emotion. By keeping your eye on the long-term prize, it’s easier to make the interim changes that can be uncomfortable but necessary.

We made changes to our business during 2020 and they feel good. We believe that we have the right people working in the right system to serve our clients, partners, the market, and you very well.

Making changes in business shouldn’t be a surprise. There is nothing static about customer purchase behavior patterns and the conversation about how to best connect brands with their customers is always evolving. We mentioned in our Christmas message that “journalism is the first draft of history” suggesting that through our work, we are writing the first draft of tomorrow’s best seller about customer loyalty and marketing.

We are indeed journalists at the Wise Marketer, but so much more. Our team is led by people who have been participating in this industry throughout their career and each person has a vital, personal and passionate interest in keeping the pulse of the global customer engagement and loyalty business. But maybe the most vital players on our team are the younger ones that continually challenge established perspectives and by doing so, accelerate our understanding of new approaches to customer and data-driven marketing.

This New Year is special as it signifies the commencement of a new decade. I hope you have been able to use this holiday period to adjust your own playbook and to summon the courage to make the changes needed to unlock growth and progress.

For the community of readers here at the Wise Marketer, there is unlimited opportunity to create and inspire the next wave of customer loyalty and marketing in 2020. Stay informed, share ideas and let’s see what the next decade will bring for this fantastic business.  

Season’s Greetings and we wish you the very best for 2020 and beyond.