In Dan Ariely’s TED talk, he explains the power of the Ikea Effect. The concept is this: If you can get the customers to do some of the work to create the final product/service, they become more loyal to it.
Ikea manufactures the furniture. You assemble it. As a result, the piece becomes more important than if it came fully assembled, without you needing to lift a single Allen Wrench.
In other words, we become invested in what we invest our effort in.
Don’t Deliver Turn-Key, Deliver 99.999% Turn-Key
So what does this mean to your business? Instead of delivering a turn-key service, have the client do a small first or final step.
Don’t do all the construction work. Have the customer break ground with a golden shovel. Have them fasten the final golden bolt.
Don’t serve your customer ice cream. Have them serve their own from a dozen flavors and two dozen toppings.
Don’t clean their entire office. Clean everything, but have them spray a final scented mist of their choosing into the air.
If they do a piece of the work – even a tiny itsy bitsy piece – they become invested in it. Them become invested in you.