We live in a world that involves a lot of blame. It’s there every time we turn our heads. How often do you hear things like this?
- My child isn’t doing well in school, but that’s because his teacher isn’t spending enough time with him.
- We would have won the game if the referee didn’t practically give it to the other team.
- Our business didn’t do well this quarter, but that’s because the economy is down.
- We didn’t reach our goal of bringing in new customers, but that’s because the market just doesn’t understand our value.
And finally, drum roll…
We lost that customer because they were too blind to see how we could help them. Okay, so maybe those aren’t the exact words that people within your organization may use, but the general sentiment is there. It’s hard to accept that customers may be leaving your company because there is a better offering – either product or service – out there. The dynamic is shifting from customers being just content with a good product and/or service. Retaining customers isn’t enough to meet growth targets – in order to now be successful customers are demanding partnership.
So, what exactly are customers expecting in terms of partnership? It boils down to 3 main components: Reliability, Credibility, and Mutual Success. Here’s a quick visual:
Stop blaming others for shortcomings and change the focus in 2012. Truly partner with customers rather than merely “servicing” them!
Katie Kiernan
Vice President, Consulting Services
