In every customer relationship, there is the moment of truth – the moment when something goes wrong. It’s in that moment, when your promise has been broken, that your customer experiences the real nature of your business. What your company truly values is exposed. When a business is young, every customer relationship is precious. Promises made to customers reflect a personal commitment and depth of caring that adds value to an offering and cultivates a customer’s trust. As …
Customer relationships are valuable, fragile, and not to be taken for granted. It takes time to build trust with a customer; destroying it can happen in just a few incompetent minutes. Relationships are intimate. People, not organizations, create them – by listening with empathy to one another, and then connecting to resolve a problem or achieve an aspiration. When something goes wrong, these human connections make the difference – it’s when they’re needed most. But too few organizations have trained, empowered or rewarded their employees to invest …
Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Surveys assessing business-to-business customer loyalty, measured as increased sales per customer over multiple years, consistently cite “selling experience” as the primary driver with a response rate that exceeds 50%; a “lowest price” response typically receives about a 10% rate. Additional response choices include better products or services, brand familiarity, higher performance than competitors, and others. When seeking to explain how “selling experience” creates this positive impact, it becomes clear that the …
It’s no secret that enduring customer relationships are grounded in what the customer believes about your organization – how they feel about your commitment to their success. There are 3 decisive moments that validate the value and endurance of your customer relationships. Doing more than expected during these 3 key moments strengthens the customer’s trust in and reliance on your company, profoundly influencing why they continue to choose you. Your “First Contact” Moment: Customers care …
Three decisive moments determine your future relationship with a customer. 1. Your “First Contact” Moment: Customers don’t care about your product or service – they care only about the amount of value your product or service can produce for them. Be customer-centric. Focus on learning their story, needs and goals. How do they plan to achieve their goals? Explore how your competencies can help them. If you work in isolation to solve only a customer’s …
David and I were working to strengthen his company’s unique offering, the distinctive value proposition his company “owns” in the marketplace, when I asked: “When you propose a solution, you are making a promise to your customer. Do you understand the emotional bond created when you call it a promise?” “A promise?” he replied. “That’s a really jaded word these days. It sounds outdated or obsolete. Does anyone actually believe in promises much less use the word? “Promise” …
In customer-centric organizations, the entire enterprise is synchronized to deliver promised value. Sustaining preference with your customers over time requires commitment: to remain engaged and aware of their vision, goals and strategies; and to consistently produce the strategic value you promised. You can’t generate value for customers unless you thoroughly understand their business – what differentiates them, how they make money. Since every business changes over time, it is essential that customer relationships be sustained on …
