The word Steve Jobs wouldn’t let us say—and how it built Apple’s most loyal customers

“Today, brands must consistently earn the right to be chosen by proving value to their customers.”McKinsey said it. Every brand knows it. Customer loyalty has never been more important—or harder to maintain. So, what’s the secret to maintaining it? Simple. Love. Why the Apple Stores ‘loved’ customers The iMac was a cult hit as of its release in 1997. However, it didn’t truly accomplish Steve Jobs’s goal for it, which was to reach a new customer. Steve knew that for Apple to win, he had to control the customer experience at the point of sale. I had the privilege of leading this effort. And to win on the customer experience, I decided the Apple Stores would focus on service. Steve asked me to articulate our service philosophy in four words or less. I came back with “love customers.” Love, as I understood it from the Bible, was an act of securing the good of another person. But Steve pushed back, noting Cupertino’s secularity. “Can you use a different word?” he asked. I landed on “enrich lives.” Working with our team, I developed a set of steps employees could take to do it: approach with a warm welcome, probe to understand needs, listen for unresolved concerns, and end with a fond f…