DYNAMICS OF CUSTOMER FOCUS

Most companies take an INSIDE-OUT approach to
meeting customer needs. They get a great idea,
institute it and then ask customers what they
think. To be successful in today's markets requires
an OUTSIDE-IN, or customer driven approach.
Customer-driven companies go out into the
marketplace, find out what customers think is
awesome, and then bring that back into the
company.

When you are INSIDE-OUT (product driven), you
have a tendency to be the expert and tell the
customer how things are. But with the level of
competition increasing all the time, that approach
no longer works. Customers can walk across the
street or down the block and find someone else who
offers what appears to be exactly the same thing.

Customer Focus is NOT customer service. Customer
service has to do with what takes place between
the customer and the contact person in your
company. Customer Focus is much more strategic
and deals with creating value for the customer.

Customer Focus is a three-step equation:

1. Every function in the company must look at the business through the eyes of the customer.

2. Every person in the company must add value on top of the core product.

3. Value is determined by the customer, not the company.

Most employees take the wrong approach when
looking to add value to the customer. For example,
the bookkeeper wonders, "How can I add more
value than sales or customer service? I don't even
SEE the customer."

That's comparing apples to oranges. Instead, have
your employees compare themselves with the
person who is doing the exact same job at your
competitor, Brand X. And then they ask, "How can I
add more value to my customer's experience
compared to Mary who is doing MY job at my
competitors?" Then it gets personal and practical.
The competitive juices begin to flow and all
employees begin to take THEIR task very personal.

When adding value, MORE is not necessarily better.
Better is better and the customer determines what
is better. The litmus test is not whether a customer
likes a new feature; it's whether they are willing to
pay for it.

The Question: How many of your employees have
given even 10 seconds of thought to this? Some
company's employees will. Will it be yours?