Rob Markey on the Net Promoter Backstory: The Room Where It Happened (Part 1)

The co-inventor of the Net Promoter System initially rejected the idea of a single question to measure loyalty.

Rob Markey's interview was so packed with gems that I had to break it into two parts. In Part 1, we go back to the room where it happened.

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Originally aired January 5, 2023 as Episode 15 of The Trusted Guide Podcast (then The Delighted Customers Podcast).

What we cover

• Why Rob initially rejected a single question to measure customer loyalty

• Why that one question was ultimately selected

• The most common misinterpretation of Net Promoter Score

• Loyalty levers to pull in a down economy

• How loyalty leaders can excel in a recession

From skeptic to believer

There's something reassuring about hearing that one of the people behind NPS started as a skeptic. Rob's story of how the evidence changed his mind is a great reminder that good ideas earn their place by holding up to scrutiny.

Related episodes

• Episode 16: Measuring and Managing Customer Loyalty in a Digital World with Rob Markey, Part 2

• Episode 65: The 3 Dimensions of Customer Value Creation with Rob Markey, Part 1

• Episode 66: Rob Markey on Loyalty, Broken Trust, and the Three Lenses of Customer Value

About the guest

Rob Markey is co-inventor of the Net Promoter System and co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0. He founded Bain & Company's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice and has spent more than 30 years at Bain leading customer-centric transformations.

If this conversation was useful, you'll find more like it in The Trusted Guide Newsletter: practical insights on trust, influence, and leading change.