Well maybe not Pizza Hut exactly, but it's true that the lifetime value of a customer for a regular pizza place is around $8,000.

Lifetime value is a common phrase for describing how much a customer is worth to a company if the person remains loyal over the course of their life. Disney is one company that understands the importance of lifetime value. They estimate that customers, from the first walk through the entry gate, are worth up to $50,000 in lifetime value. Knowing this, Disney pays close attention to creating customers for life. They know that the greater the connection a customer feels to a company, the greater the loyalty and the greater probability for maximizing lifetime value. Disney creates connections with customers by orchestrating experiences at different points of interaction, which I’ve written about before (remember the white jumpsuit man?) because their experiences are simply amazing.

But you don't have to be Disney to care about lifetime value and deliver experiences that earn you customers for life. Think of a company you love doing business with. Now think about why you love it so much. Are they responsive to your inquiries? Do they treat you with respect and urgency every time you interact with them? These things may seem basic, but that's just the point. Being responsive and treating you with respect makes you feel valued. These are simple behaviors that if done consistently by a company’s employees, can create experiences the keep customers coming back and referring the company to others.

On the other hand, you could just learn to say goodbye to customers' potential lifetime value, as Seth Godin jokes about in his blog post.

What experiences does your company stage to ensure repeat business and a strong unpaid marketing department? Have you defined the behaviors employees can deliver to build relationships with customers? How are you building lifetime value?