Most of the time we focus on the crowds…what is everyone doing…are we part of the trend…do we fit into this group or that group of businesses…are we recognized in a certain segment in the industry. These are the wrong measures of success in the new economy we live in…LONELINESS is the new measure of success.
In today’s fast moving world, it doesn’t take very long for someone new to enter into your market…light years faster than it did only 10 or 20 years ago. The internet has given us many things…one of which is the ability for someone to spot an opportunity in ANY industry and become a player…usually a very good player. So HOW DO YOU GET TO HIGHER LEVELS if there are so many more companies trying to take a piece of your action in your industry?
There are now countless examples of companies like Uber, AirBnB, and Tesla that have entered into markets thought to be almost sacred and impervious to outsiders coming in and becoming relevant. Not the case any longer…it is now an accepted part of our business climate. Businesses are popping up everywhere, in almost any industry where you they see an opportunity to offer something new and/or improved over the current model. And where there are “fat margins” they find ways to thin them out and dominate by taking a significant amount of market share. This will only continue.
Every market is getting more and more crowded with competition…either new entrants or companies expanding services/products into other industries. Where you used to think you had a handful of competitors has now turned into a crowd of competitors…all trying to squeeze out a percentage of the market share. Where you used to own 20% of the market in the past, now you might own only 10% (or less)…not because you did anything different but because there are more competitors for your customers to choose from and siphon off your customer base. I hear this all the time when I speak to business leaders in virtually every industry.
So how do you strengthen your company to a point where you can stop this from happening or even increase your position in the market from where you are today? It’s really tough to do this with just your own internal resources…in fact, you have probably already tried this and are seeing less than desirable results. But for most companies, THERE IS ONE THING THEY ARE MISSING…
THEY AREN’T EMPLOYING THEIR CUSTOMERS AS THEIR SALES AND MARKETIN AGENTS in the market.
Every company has limited resources they can use on sales and marketing as a percent of their overall revenues. So when you have reached the peak and tried to make those as efficient as possible, what do you do next? This is one of the key areas that keeps companies from moving to higher levels…unless you ALLOW YOUR CUSTOMERS TO HELP YOU.
Creating a strategy that turns your customers into sales and marketing agents for your company is a way to go beyond your limited resources. It allows you to use the power of your customers and their networks to help “sell and market” your organization. What exactly is this strategy? It’s all about CREATING SOMETHING OF HIGH RELEVANCE AND VALUE THAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT TO SHARE WITH OTHERS.
Think of Apple…they are a great example of this strategy. And not because they came out with cool new products (which they did) but because they created an experience for their customers they wanted to share with others. In fact, they literally created a “cult of customers” that became their ADVOCATES in the market. These people became their SALES AND MARKETING AGENTS…CUSTOMER AGENTS…where they were happy to help educate and sell Apple products…for Apple…for no pay.
I don’t know about you, but to me, adding more sales with virtually no cost is a pretty good idea! This is what CUSTOMER AGENTS can do for you. It worked for Apple and a host of other companies…like Disney, Starbucks, Zappos, Virgin America, and a host of other incredibly successful companies. They figured out how to harness these Customer Agents to help them increase sales at virtually no cost. They created an army of ADVOCATES in the market that were happy to promote them, spread word-of-mouth, and become their Customer Agents.
This happens because you have something incredibly awesome your customers love and can’t wait to tell others about…something REMARKABLE. And it isn’t what everyone else in your crowded industry is offering…it is unique. And most of the time, it isn’t about the product or service…remember the barrier to entry of a new competitor today is almost completely gone…it is about the EXPERIENCE YOU OFFER TO YOUR CUSTOMERS. This is what they love and this is what they can’t wait to tell others about…becoming your Customer Agents.
If you want to move to the highest possible level in your industry, this is a way you can do it and be possibly the only one at the top of the heap of competitors. It helps you be lonely…because it is LONELY AT THE TOP of the crowded, commoditized industry you are in. If you are the one that has marshalled these customers to become your CUSTOMER AGENTS then no one else will get them (unless you mess things up for them…it’s yours to lose). Having this extra arsenal of sales and marketing agents is what moves you to the LONELY position of being…NUMBER ONE in your industry.
This doesn’t just happen…it is strategic…it takes planning…it takes effort…it takes execution. Everyone likes the idea of it, but only those willing to do these 4 things will be the LONELY one at the top. This is where you, as a business leader, gets to decide if you are willing to commit to these 4 things and invest in creating CUSTOMER AGENTS FOR YOUR ORANGIZATION…are you up to the opportunity?
