From Head Count to Heart Count: Loyalty by Design with Joey Coleman
May 29, 2025
What if loyalty isn't something you earn over time, but something you design from day one?
On this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with Joey Coleman, founder and Chief Experience Composer of Design Symphony and bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again, and Never Lose an Employee Again, to uncover why most organizations lose up to 70% of customers and employees in the first 100 days. Drawing from his eclectic background in law, education, and performance, Joey breaks down the eight emotional stages of relationship-building and offers powerful strategies to spark loyalty from day one. Whether you're leading a team or growing a customer base, this episode reveals why "heart count" may matter more than headcount.
What if loyalty isn't something you earn over time, but something you design from day one?
On this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin sits down with Joey Coleman, founder and Chief Experience Composer of Design Symphony and bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again, and Never Lose an Employee Again, to uncover why most organizations lose up to 70% of customers and employees in the first 100 days. Drawing from his eclectic background in law, education, and performance, Joey breaks down the eight emotional stages of relationship-building and offers powerful strategies to spark loyalty from day one. Whether you're leading a team or growing a customer base, this episode reveals why "heart count" may matter more than headcount.
What you will learn:
- How to prevent 20-70% loss of customers and employees in the first 100 days
- Why most leaders wrongly believe money is the primary reason employees leave
- The Eight Emotional Phases framework for building lasting relationships
- How to use the "Balloon Theory" to catch customers before they silently float away
- The six essential communication tools for building genuine emotional connections
- Why investing in "heart count" rather than "head count" is crucial
- Transforming handwritten notes into powerful loyalty-building moments
- The critical difference between measuring ROI on technology versus investing in human connection
Joey Coleman is a bestselling author, dynamic keynote speaker, and expert in customer and employee retention. With a background that spans criminal defense, teaching, performance, and global consulting, he helps organizations design remarkable experiences in the critical First 100 Days® of relationships. Joey’s books, Never Lose a Customer Again and Never Lose an Employee Again, offer practical frameworks used worldwide. He’s spoken on all seven continents and empowers leaders to build lasting loyalty through emotional connection and human-centered design.
Episode Resources: