If you’re satisfied with your customers’ (or stakeholders or others you hold yourself accountable to) being satisfied, you’re missing the boat. Opportunities to attract lifelong customers and brand champions, like a passing ship, also pass you by when you expect the bare minimum from yourself and your team.

Statistics support that it’s not all that spectacular to meet customers’ minimum expectations in the first place. In fact, the majority of customers – an average of 78 percent – claim they are satisfied with the businesses they patronize. But gauging customer satisfaction doesn’t tell you, as the person or organization trying to endear yourself to said client, much at all.

It says nothing about how you are doing as compared to your competition.

It also doesn’t tell you what areas could be improved upon, or how you can do better.

If you are simply satisfied with your customers being satisfied, you’re doing little more than resting on your laurels. Resting on your laurels gets you nowhere. You’re not improving.

Instead of promoting the concept of keeping your shareholders satisfied, look to promote a culture that fosters going above and beyond.

Surprise your customers – don’t just satisfy them.

Exceed their expectations.

Give your customers service or a deliverable or experience they didn’t even know they needed.

After all, Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban built careers around anticipating customer needs BEFORE the customer woke up to the need for that product or service. Their innovation (made) makes them great, and greats don’t simply check the box marked “customer satisfaction” and pat themselves on the back, pursuing little more than status quo.

Leave your mark on your industry or business by going against what you’ve been told your entire working life:

Don’t give them what they expect.

Defy the norm.

Do better.

Surprise your stakeholders – in a good way!