7 HABITS OF A TRULY CUSTOMER-CENTRIC SELLING ORGANIZATION

In March 2000, Harvey Thompson of IBM published a book, "The Customer-Centered Enterprise: How IBM and Other World-Class Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results by Putting Customers First" (McGraw-Hill).

In this book, he suggests that an organization like Amazon.com is one of the best examples of a customer-centered company. At the other end of the scale, he puts Microsoft as an example of a product-driven company. I am sure we can all relate to what Thompson is saying. The book has some excellent advice on how being customer-centered in your marketing and your selling can produce much better business results than the product-driven approach.

In some ways, Thompson did not go far enough. The real key is to try to relate to how the customer sees our company. How will our typical customer feel when he or she contacts our company? We should try to stand in the shoes of our customers. Doing that, how does our company rate?

The following 7 habits distinguish the truly customer-centric organization from a business that merely thinks a lot about its customers.

Why not score your own company and see how you rate.

1. WE HAVE A PROMISE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS,
NOT JUST A MISSION FOR OURSELVES

We have a Mission statement for the company, which is like this:

Does not mention customers	Mostly about the company	50/50 company / customer	Mostly about what we will provide to our customers	A clear commitment to our customers of what we will provide them
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

2. WE BUNDLE SERVICES IN WITH OUR PRODUCTS

We only provide products	We provide minimal services with our products	Our services are as good as our average competitor	Our services are as good as the best of the competition	We provide the full services that any customer might want
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

3. OUR WEBSITE IS A WELCOMING DOOR,
NOT A MAGNIFICENT EDIFICE

Our website is like this:

An impressive view of all that the company represents	Our customers can find what they want if they are persistent	50/50 for general visitors and for customers	Mostly for the customer	Our customers can easily see how to get the information they need
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

4. THE CUSTOMER FINDS IT EASY TO CONTACT US,
BY WHATEVER METHOD IS CONVENIENT

There are four usual ways of contacting any company - telephone, fax, email message, website form.
How many of these can the customer easily find from your website?

We don't have a website	One way	Two ways	Three ways	All four ways
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

5. OUR TELEPHONE SYSTEM IS "CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY"
AND NOT JUST COST-EFFECTIVE

Most calls are greeted by a gruff human being	Most customers wait until they then talk to a machine	Most customers talk to a machine but can get a human being	We have a rapid automatic call reception system	Most calls are greeted by a friendly human being
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

6. OUR CUSTOMER HAS ONE MAIN CONTACT
WHO MAKES EVERYTHING HAPPEN

No designated contact and no information kept about customers	Several contacts but little information kept about customers	Several contacts but with a good logging system	Two main contacts with a good logging system	There is one main contact for each customer
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

7. OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE GIVES THE SERVICE
THE CUSTOMER REALLY WANTS

A stress-relief process for complaints - no results	Sympathetic hearing - minor results	Tries to correct the problem	Corrects the problem and minor compensation for trouble	Really impresses customer as they "Make it right"
Score 0	Score 1	Score 2	Score 3	Score 4

 

So add up your scores for the 7 habits and see how your organization rates in its marketing and its selling.

Total score

0 - 14 You probably turn off a large proportion of potential customers
15 - 20 You probably irritate some of your potential customers
21 - 25 You're doing pretty well but the competition may do better
26 - 28 Now you're a company I would like to buy from.

So how did your organization do? Perhaps you feel the rating is too critical. However with the Internet, the customer is now in the driving seat. Some companies are really giving incredible service and that is what is setting the standard for what customers expect. This is not rocket science. All it takes is a little more thinking and a little more attention to detail. So why not join the winners. Look at each of the questions where you scored less than 4 and see whether you should be doing more to make your customer feel valued.

If you would like your organization more customer-centric, then SMM will be happy to help you figure out your best approach. Our help can be configured to meet exactly the needs you have. Our strengths, experience and creativity can complement those of your company. So write us a Message today on what you're looking for without obligation or chat online if he is available.

Barry Welford

 

Added to site 7 December 2001

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