“WOW, I can’t believe how you went out of your way to make sure and solve my problem…this is an awesome experience!”
“Well, I know that’s your policy, but it isn’t solving my problem!”
Which do you think was said by the customer of an entrepreneur and which one was said by the customer of a corporate employee? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it…but it’s real. It’s what happens every day in corporate America. Which response do you want your customers to receive?
Entrepreneurs OBSESS over their customers because they know how hard it is to get the next one. Each and every one is valuable to their business. Their very existence and future could be hanging on their ability to get the next customer. Each one is like gold…and if they are a good Entrepreneur, they will do whatever it takes…obsessing over their customers.
Entrepreneurs don’t have the luxury of customers generated by the “corporate sales and marketing machine.” They have to get them on their own with their own value proposition. They work every angle they can to get noticed and share their story. They find any opening to tell someone about how they can solve their problem or help their situation. They put massive value on each and every customer…because they are so incredibly valuable to them and their business. They obsess over their customers…and for good reason.
Corporate employees who have only “worked for someone else” just don’t think this way. Their lifeblood isn’t on the line…they can simply go get another job if this one doesn’t work out. So why “obsess” over something you think can easily be replaced? You don’t. Most employees just believe customers will “show up” because of who they are, not because of what they’re about. Sure some employees do…they probably have an “entrepreneurial mindset” deep down.
As a leader you might obsess over the customer and their situation because you realize they are the lifeblood of your business…or you may have come from the entrepreneurial ranks. This is where a major disconnect happens for organizations…leaders obsess, employees don’t. And who is it that deals with your customers and delivers and experience to them every day? Your employees.
So next time you are interviewing for a new employee or manager or leader…think “entrepreneur” and find those that have some of this in their background or at least in their makeup. Build a team of people that have some entrepreneurs in the mix and allow their “customer obsessed” thinking to permeate the group. It will go a long way to helping change the culture to one of “outward focused” (customer centric) rather than “inward focused” (product/service centric). And maybe, just maybe, the idea of “customer obsession” will start to spread in the organization.
