Editor's note: John Goodman is vice chairman at TARP Worldwide, an Arlington, Va., research company. Goodman can be reached at 703-284-9253 or at jgoodman@tarp.com. This article appeared in the August 8, 2011, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

Some common phrases in the marketing and service sector would be better described as common misconceptions - stated and restated enough times that business professionals have come to accept them as gospel. Some marketing and service myths are based on solid, empirical evidence but have been carried too far. Others are just plain wrong. After enough time has passed, it can be hard to separate conventional wisdom from marketing clichés. But it's never too late to evaluate why you've adopted your marketing and service practices and, if need be, change them! In this article I will debunk 10 common myths and offer a different, backed-by-research approach to your marketing and service efforts.

Myth 1: The key to market success is to exceed customers' expectations, delighting them whenever possible.

Fact: Delight customers only when cost is reasonable cost and payoff is significant.

Everyone wants to exceed customer expectations. While this is a nice general idea, all actions to produce delight do not cost the same and all delight experiences do not produce the same increase in loyalty. TARP has found that many labor-intensive heroics will only result in a 12-to-14 percent increase in the percentage of customers who will definitely recommend a company, while other less labor-intensive actions (i.e., a friendly 90-second conversation, which can create an emotional connection or a hint regarding how to avoid problems) will result in two or three times more customers becoming advocates.

Lesson: Measure the cost and impact of different types of delighters and only exceed expectations where it is cost-effective.

Myth 2: Answer the phone fast - any time ...