Customer Apostles Are Alive and Well!
According to Hesket, Sasser, and Schlesinger (The Value Profit Chain), an apostle is someone that exhibits a high degree of loyalty while convincing others to purchase. More importantly, these are customers who take responsibility for the continued success of an offer or brand, by taking the time to complain or by providing a steady stream of suggestions.
Dave Werner is a customer apostle. Go to his website www.okaydave.com and click on Wachovia, at the bottom of the page. Wait for the movie to launch. The presentation on Wachovia starts with Dave standing by a Wachovia ATM. He begins by saying:
"This is my bank, Wachovia. I have been with them for about five years now, and they have always had great, friendly service. But their website - is a little on the crappy side."
Why is Dave an apostle? He takes the time to not only comment on the Wachovia website experience, but he actually takes the time to research and develop a Brand Strategy Brief that outlines the problems with their current system, and provides suggestions on how they can imporve while remaining faithful to the brand.
We certanly hope that Wachovia has thanked Dave for his insighful commentary. Dave Werner proves that it is possible to create customer apostles!