Your Customers Want a Relationship. You're Giving Them a Situationship.

Competence Earns Consideration. EQ Earns Loyalty.

THE ORIGIN STORY

For the past year, I've been in a couple situationships with a few barbers in New York.

I see one a couple times. He texts me. I ghost him. A month later I'm lonely, I need a haircut, I hit him up again.

It's complicated.

But it's not what I want.

Ever since moving back to New York, I've been searching for a barber worth being exclusive with.

A few weeks ago, I got a second haircut from this guy and I've officially taken myself off of the market.

What's funny is that there isn't anything obviously special about the barbershop.

It's small. It's not luxurious. No branding. No premium experience.

But this barber has something unique:

High EQ.

During my first haircut, I casually mentioned that I was hosting a social fitness event.

Six weeks later, during my second appointment, he asked:

"How did your fitness event go?"

I was shocked.

How did he remember that?

He sees hundreds of customers. This wasn't planned. He just simply remembered.

THE STRATEGY

Now, I want to be clear: high EQ alone isn't the reason someone becomes loyal.

The product has to be great first.

If this guy gave terrible haircuts, I wouldn't keep seeing him just because he remembered something about me.

Competence has to come first.

But once competence is established, the relationship becomes the differentiator.

THE TAKEAWAY

This same principle applies to almost every business.

Consumers have more choices than ever. Most products are good. A lot of service providers are competent.

The companies that win are the ones that make people feel seen.

Competence earns consideration.

EQ earns loyalty.

That's how you turn a situationship into an exclusive relationship.