How Do I Build Customer Loyalty That Big Competitors Can’t Steal?
with Shawna Suckow — Consumer Behavior Expert & Small Business Marketing Strategist
Released Sunday, June 28, 2026
How do you build customer loyalty so strong that customers stay with you even when larger competitors show up with lower prices? In this episode of Underestimated, Shawna Suckow sits down with Sandy Hendrick, Marketing Manager at HTC, to talk about what it takes to stay community-focused while growing a business. Sandy shares how HTC competes against national brands without racing to the bottom on price, why authentic local connections create lasting loyalty, and how simple community partnerships can generate trust, visibility, and customer retention. If you’re looking for ways to stand out without a massive marketing budget, this conversation is packed with practical ideas.
Watch It
Watch on YouTube
▶
▶ Watch on YouTube — opens in new tab
▶ WATCH ON YOUTUBE
In This Episode
Key Topics Discussed
Competing Without Racing to the Bottom
- Why HTC’s mission focuses on enriching lives, not lowest price
- The customer who only cares about price is the one you’ll lose again
- How a mission statement drives daily marketing decisions
- Standing out when every competitor sounds exactly the same
Community as Competitive Advantage
- Community involvement as core DNA, not a campaign tactic
- How authentic local presence builds trust competitors can’t replicate
- The difference between visibility and genuine connection
- Why showing up consistently beats one-time splashy campaigns
Creative Local Partnerships
- Pizza shop + dogs + Santa + animal charity = community marketing gold
- How to find partners whose audience overlaps with yours
- Small events with 25 people can outperform expensive advertising
- Turning one good idea into lasting community momentum
Content That Creates Real Engagement
- Business member spotlights that celebrate customers publicly
- The book club that changed how HTC thinks about marketing
- Out-of-the-blue events that surprise and delight
- Social media content rooted in real relationships
The Real Kids Program
- How HTC supports youth in their service area
- Why cause-based programs build brand loyalty across generations
- Community work creates internal culture, not just external goodwill
- Long-term goodwill vs. short-term promotional thinking
Staying Human as You Grow
- How 650-employee HTC still acts like a local business
- The fork in the road: corporate and polished vs. relationship-first
- Why consistency beats perfection in community marketing
- Advice for growing businesses expanding into new markets
Key Takeaways
The Bottom Line
- Don’t compete on price — compete on connection. Customers who choose you for the lowest price will leave for the same reason. Build loyalty around your story, your community involvement, and your relationships instead.
- Community involvement isn’t a campaign — it’s a culture. The businesses that win long-term treat community engagement as who they are, not a box they check. It has to come from the top down and show up every day.
- Small events can deliver outsized results. Twenty-five people at a well-chosen community event can generate more trust and word-of-mouth than a $10,000 ad buy. Don’t overlook the power of meaningful, intimate moments.
- Don’t overthink it — just start. If you see an opportunity in your community that fits your brand, act on it. Over-planning kills good ideas. The best community marketing is opportunistic and genuine.
- Your biggest competitive advantage is being local. National brands can match your price. They can’t match your relationships, your local knowledge, or your authentic presence in the community. That’s your moat — use it.
Read It
Why Customer Loyalty Matters More Than Price
Shawna Suckow, CSP: Have you ever wondered what it takes to drive loyalty with your customers that’s so deep that they wouldn’t leave you for another price or a massive company that’s coming in to try to steal them away? I have the perfect guest to talk about this very thing today because he is leading his company through this very thing as we speak.
My guest today is Sandy Hendrick. He’s the Marketing Manager at HTC, an internet service provider in Conway, South Carolina. With more than 27 years of experience in marketing, Sandy has helped guide product launches, led marketing campaigns, and negotiated with programming partners. He’s passionate about community-driven marketing, and he continually challenges himself and his team to rethink how an ISP shows up locally, focusing on authentic connections rather than traditional telecom playbooks.
Sandy’s Dance Championship and Three Doors Down Story
Shawna Suckow, CSP: Before we get started, I have to ask you about this fun fact that you shared. You were a two-time dance champion and once opened for Three Doors Down.
Sandy Hendrick: That’s correct. My dancing experience came from my daughter. Years ago, when she was in dance, we traveled around and attended different dance competitions. I got asked to participate in one of their routines, which was themed around the movie Ghostbusters. The championships came from father-daughter dance competitions. Thanks to her skills, and maybe a few moves borrowed from exercise videos, we ended up winning two years in a row.
Shawna Suckow, CSP: How did the Three Doors Down thing happen?
Sandy Hendrick: Me and a few high school friends started a garage-style band when we got to college. We played various venues around the area, including the House of Blues. Through some connections at a local radio station, we got the opportunity to open for Three Doors Down when they came through Myrtle Beach.
Growing Without Losing Your Identity
Shawna Suckow, CSP: Businesses eventually hit a fork in the road. One path leads toward becoming polished, corporate, and brand-first. The other path keeps people, relationships, and community at the center. How long have you felt the pressure of that decision?
Sandy Hendrick: From a competitive standpoint, probably the last two to three years. That’s when our market really started heating up. Fortunately, community has always been part of our DNA. We recently revised our mission statement, and one of my favorite things about it is that nowhere does it say we’re trying to be the lowest-price provider. Instead, it says our goal is to enhance and enrich the lives of the members we serve and improve the community. That philosophy comes from the top down, which makes my job a lot easier because I’m not fighting against it. It’s part of who we are as an organization.
Community, Partnerships, and the Full Conversation
The full transcript continues in the audio. Topics include: community as a co-op advantage, why sounding like everyone else kills you, playing the long game with loyalty, business member spotlights, the book club that changed marketing, creating out-of-the-blue events, the Real Kids program, dogs + pizza + Santa + animal charity as a partnership win, building goodwill instead of selling, expanding into new markets, and Sandy’s advice for growing businesses.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or watch on YouTube above.