I had a dream the other night and in the dream I was thinking about taking this cooking class I found. It’s interesting because this is something I have been thinking about doing in my ‘real’ life. So in any case, I wanted to go until I realized it was a cooking class for parents. I was upset to say the least. Why couldn’t I go simply because I didn’t have a child?
Should the organization running the classes allowed me to participate? I’m not so sure. The class was intended for parents (seemingly for some bonding, commonality, etc.) and since I am not a parent, then I was not an ideal participant. Yes, it annoyed me and made me upset but I had to respect the organization for sticking with their original intentions for the class and not adapting their policies because of me.
What’s more, their decision to not welcome me into the class was probably for my own good. If the class was modeled for parents and I am not a parent, then would I be as fulfilled and happy a student as the others? I would guess not.
This got me thinking about a post I saw over on Ken Mueller’s Inkling Media blog about the awesome marketing idea that was in the movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’. In case you don’t know what we are referring to, let me explain. In the movie, Macy’s is featured as the store with the infamous Santa Claus. He gets the notion to start referring Macy’s customers to competing stores if they have the item that they are looking for in instances where Macy’s does not. Now traditionally, when a customer would ask for an item, the Macy’s sales associate would attempt to sell them the next best thing if they didn’t sell it themselves. But this Santa introduced an entirely new concept; put the customer first even if that means you are referring them elsewhere.
The idea of putting the customer first is not revolutionary and it’s certainly not a new thing. But it’s one that brands continue to struggle with especially in economic times like these.
Do you put your customer first? Send them elsewhere when what you offer is not exactly what they need? Or are you trying to mold yourself and your offerings to each individual customer?
It’s not a sustainable business practice to adapt for each new client.
The development and engineering team suffers because they are not longer being innovative; they are simply reacting to needs.
The sales team suffers because they begin to spend exorbitant hours talking customers into something they don’t want instead of selling to people that are a better fit.
The marketing team suffers because they no longer understand what it is the company is offering or what the value proposition is. Let alone who the customer target is to generate leads.
The leadership team suffers because the entire organization is confused and mislead. They spend their time trying to justify their decisions rather than leading the company methodically.
The organization as a whole suffers because the vision becomes blurry and what you originally sought out to do and offer no longer looks the same.
Yes you will miss out on that marquee customer if your solution doesn’t fit their mold. Yes you will miss out on another customer if you don’t build a new one. And yes you will miss out on that sale if you don’t adapt your vision immediately.
Does it matter?
What are you really losing at the end of the day when you change the mold for what you offer, or adapt on command?
Define the vision for your product or service (I’m not talking vision statement, I’m talking about what problem you are solving) and define who it is that will benefit from it. Then build a plan to connect the two. The instant you are in a conversation with someone and recognize that they don’t have the problem you solve or do not fit the definition for your target market, walk away. Refer them if you have the knowledge to do so, but walk away.
As I stated earlier, putting the customer first is not a revolutionary concept, but it is one that is highly regarded and easily ignored. If your idea of putting the customer first is building a product for them and adapting every step of the way, then you have some learning to do.
{image by hownowdesign}
Whoever said that the ‘customer is the boss’ is serious about doing business. I guess, when these customers are the blood that keeps your business running, they may not always be right – but they deserve to be treated right and that can be achieved through active listening and appreciation. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask… Happy New Year and More Success for 2012!
The ‘right’ customer is always right. You can do all the listening and appreciating you want, but if your products or services are not a good fit, then the customer needs to be told that and sent off to someone that can help them. If you are bending over backwards to give the customer everything they want, then you need to re-think who your customer is and what exactly it is you intended to do. *my point was really what you are doing before they become a paying customer.