What retention actually is

Quick question before we dive in …

What do you think makes customers loyal?

Most founders say things like …

And sure, those things help.

But here's the truth … customers don't stay loyal to brands. They stay loyal to outcomes.

When life is meaningfully better because of your product, staying is the obvious choice.

When life isn't better (or they can't tell if it's better), no amount of emails or loyalty points will fix it.

Let me show you what I mean …

I worked with a brand that sold a sleep supplement. Great product. Worked for most people. But retention was all over the place.

Some customers would reorder forever. Others would buy once and disappear.

The founder kept trying to "fix" retention with better flows, more education, bigger discounts.

Nothing moved the needle.

So we dug into the support tickets.

And we found the same question over and over:

"Is this working? How do I know if it's working?"

That's when it clicked for them.

The product was working for most people. But customers couldn't tell. They didn't know what to look for. They didn't know if the subtle shifts they were feeling were "progress" or just placebo.

So they'd finish the first bottle, feel uncertain, and just … not reorder.

The product delivered results. But the results weren't visible.

And here's the thing … if customers can't recognize the result, it's the same as not delivering it at all.

Retention isn't just about making life better.

It's about making life better in a way customers can actually recognize.

That's the difference between retention that requires constant hustle (emails, discounts, persuasion) and retention that just … happens.

When customers can see and feel that life is better, they don't need to be convinced to stay.

They just do.

Tomorrow I'm going to break down the two-part results problem that most brands miss … and why even great products can have terrible retention.

But for now, here's your gut check …

Can your customers clearly describe what "winning" looks like with your product?

If not, you've got work to do.

See you tomorrow,

Jeremiah

P.S. A lot of founders tell me, "But our customers love us … look at the reviews!" And I believe them. But loving a product and knowing how to succeed with it are two different things. More on that tomorrow.

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