"If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your instincts and push for clarity—because informed customers are empowered customers."

In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, Colin Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton discuss the all-too-common experience of feeling ripped off. Drawing on Colin’s personal experiences with home repairs and unexpected costs, they delve into the anatomy of being taken advantage of as a customer. Together, they explore the power dynamics, manipulative tactics, and psychological cues that underpin these interactions.

From high-pressure situations to unnecessary upsells, the hosts provide insights into recognizing when you’re being overcharged and how to protect yourself. Along the way, they share actionable tips for consumers and lessons businesses can learn to build trust and transparency with their customers.

1. Red Flags of Being Ripped Off:

   • Urgency and High Demand: When time is short, and demand is high, you’re more likely to encounter inflated prices.

   • Irrelevant Questions: Excessive or unrelated inquiries can signal attempts to upsell or gauge your lack of expertise.

   • Upselling Early: If a provider pushes additional services before addressing your core issue, proceed cautiously.

   • Manipulative Sales Tactics: Techniques like “calling the manager” or creating false scarcity are designed to wear you down.

   • Unease: Trust your gut—if something feels off, it probably is.

2. Power Dynamics and Information Gaps:

   • Service providers often have the upper hand in terms of expertise and resources, which can lead to exploitation.

   • Customers should ask detailed questions, break down costs, and research to close the information gap.

3. Lessons for Businesses:

   • Transparency and honesty foster long-term trust and customer loyalty.

   • While exploiting urgency or knowledge gaps may yield short-term gains, it damages reputation and drives customers away.

4. Practical Tips for Consumers:

   • Avoid rushed decisions and gather multiple quotes when possible.

   • Demand clarity on costs and don’t hesitate to negotiate.

   • Recognize manipulative tactics and assert your rights as a customer.

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 86,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn.

Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World’s Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called “The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things” Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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Episode Summary:

In this special end-of-year episode, Colin Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton reflect on 2024, sharing personal and professional lessons learned throughout the year. The conversation dives into themes of resilience in both life and customer experience, the vital role of community, the need for balance, and the hype surrounding AI.

Key Takeaways:

• Resilience Matters: Colin discusses how personal resilience during a home crisis parallels the resilience required in customer experience. He explains how understanding customers' emotional journeys (e.g., the grief cycle) can improve support and satisfaction.

• Community is Key: Both hosts underscore how community support during tough times can be mirrored in the business world, where fostering a sense of community can strengthen customer loyalty.

• Communication & Transparency: Ryan shares insights on the role of clear communication in managing customer expectations and protecting processes. It’s not just about better ideas; it’s also about maintaining trust.

• Balanced Approach: Colin and Ryan advocate for a balanced customer experience strategy that combines quantitative measures with a focus on emotional and behavioral insights, and a mix of human interaction with technology.

• AI and the Hype Trap: Colin warns against getting swept up in the AI hype. While AI holds great promise, organizations should prioritize strategic, integrated implementations over rushing to adopt the latest tools

About the Hosts:

Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 86,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience; Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker.

Subscribe & Follow

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

We are frustrated. Despite years of effort across industries, customer satisfaction has only seen marginal improvement since the 1990s.

By marginal improvement, we mean it went up four points. That’s right, four.

This stagnation suggests a need for deeper cultural and operational changes to prioritize customer experiences truly.

Our discussion in this episode revolves around four key customer-centricity levels: Naive, Transactional, Enlightened, and Natural. These stages represent an organization's maturity in focusing on customers, from the least to the most advanced.

1. Naive Organizations focus internally and lack regard for customer needs, often viewing the customer as secondary to operational goals.
2. Transactional Organizations acknowledge the importance of the customer but treat interactions as isolated transactions, usually emphasizing efficiency over empathy.
3. Enlightened Organizations offer a more cohesive and emotionally engaging experience, understanding that customers seek meaningful interactions.
4. Natural Organizations are the pinnacle of customer-centricity, with cultures that fully align employee and customer experiences. These companies anticipate customer needs and prioritize creating memorable, personalized moments
   

Organizations are encouraged to evaluate where they stand on this spectrum and start implementing changes in nine core areas: people, customer strategy, systems, measurement, channels, expectations, marketing and branding, processes, and leadership. Embracing these changes may require a cultural overhaul, but the rewards include increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

In this episode, we dive into the concept of customer centricity and explore the journey organizations must take to shift their focus more closely to the customer. The journey from Naive to Natural isn’t easy, but it is essential for brands that want to build genuine, long-term customer relationships.

Here are a few other key takeaways from the discussion you will learn:

• Customer centricity is not just about enthusiastic service—it requires a deep cultural shift within the organization.

• Organizations must balance rational, efficiency-focused goals with emotional aspects to create a holistic customer experience.

• Success depends on how well leadership integrates customer-focused values into every level of the organization.

• The nine organizational areas identified help companies assess and improve their customer focus.

• True customer-centric brands are often those that consider both customer and employee experiences as interconnected.

• Moving towards "Natural" status requires significant effort and incremental improvements rather than a one-time overhaul.