There are very few business leaders I talk with that don’t tell me they either think they are Customer Centric or that they want to try and be more Customer Centric. With all this interest in it from the outside, why aren’t more doing this today?
There are three primary reasons I see that keep companies from becoming more Customer Centric. And if you can’t become Customer Centric, you certainly can’t become CUSTOMER OBSESSED. Here are the three primary reasons I see today that cause most companies to stay where they are or go in a different direction…
- They have to CHANGE and can’t “Window Dress” it… Everyone loves the idea of being customer centric…or saying they want to be obsessing over their customers…until they realize THEY have to change. There’s that awful and scary word that most businesses dread…CHANGE. And this usually isn’t some minor change…this is changing every part of your company so they are ALWAYS putting the customer first in all their decisions and actions. This sounds easy…it’s not. And because it isn’t easy, most companies never get there…they abort part way through any effort or don’t even begin when the see how daunting it could be for their organization.
And because it looks daunting, they resort to something I feel is almost worse than doing nothing…they “window dress” with the intent of pretending to be but in reality they aren’t. You see it as a customer…the receptionist is really great and friendly but the rest of your experience is not. Or the person you are talking to on the phone is incredibly helpful and giving but when you walk into the business you see something entirely different. This isn’t being Customer Obsessed, this is trying to fake it and get away without the hard work of change.
Before any company begins the process of wanting to be Customer Obsessed and Customer Centric, they need to look long and deep into the effort and make an executive level commitment to seeing it through. It isn’t something you can “fake your way through” because unfortunately, the one group that will call you out is also the one group that pays the rent…the CUSTOMER. They see right through this and realize you really aren’t all about them.
The companies that do make this commitment and fight through the “Valley of Despair” in their journey to becoming Customer Obsessed and Customer Centric enjoy many rewards their competition will never see. They died in the “Valley” and never came out…they quit. They couldn’t fight through the process of CHANGE so they couldn’t reap the rewards. Make the commitment from the top level of the company and see it through…the rewards will amaze you when you reach the other side and where your customers see just how awesome you treat them…and they will reward you with LOYALTY and WORD-OF-MOUTH.
- They don’t UNDERSTAND what it means…have you ever had something that was truly amazing and you tried to describe it to someone else and they just “don’t get it?” This is exactly what this reason is all about. You can try to explain it in several different ways but in the end, you realize they still just don’t get it. Like when you are talking to your kids about math for example…you see it clearly and they just don’t get it. So you try a different way…same result.
Until you reach a point where they go, “Oh, now I see what you are talking about,” they will never become Customer Centric or strive to be Customer Obsessed. It isn’t because they don’t want to or aren’t willing to make the changes like the companies in number one above, they simply just don’t get it. Customer Centricity, believe it or not, falls into this category.
You are probably saying to yourself right now, “How can someone not get being “all about” their customers?” They can certainly get the words but what they can’t get is how you change your entire company to do everything with the customer in the center of the universe. They usually grew up in the Industrial Revolution and so they think in terms of “products and services” rather than the customer. They have products and services at the center of their universe and this is how the entire company has been built and how it runs today. Now you are asking them to erase that thinking and put the customer at the center of every process, decision, and action. This isn’t easy for many to understand and grasp.
For some it takes time to sink in…for others it is like the math problem…you have to try many different ways to explain it so they hopefully get and understand it at some point. I know, it sounds easy…but take it from someone that talks about this 24/7, it isn’t easy. It can actually be incredibly frustrating because I see it so clearly so my goal is to try and put it into a package others can understand and grasp…my biggest challenge. But when they get it…the light goes on…not just any light but a big huge spotlight and it’s like they have seen into a new world…it’s one of my biggest highlights in what I do.
- They already THINK THEY ARE…there is nothing more dangerous to me in the business world that seeing someone think they get something (and act on it) when you know they clearly don’t. It’s either because of number 2 above (they don’t fully understand it) or they are just fooling themselves because they want to be but they aren’t willing to do number one (commit to change) above.
This is the most difficult leader for me to deal with…they actually think they are and they clearly aren’t. Rather than be open to seeing what it’s really like to be Customer Centric and Obsessed over them, they just say they are already. Even when I ask them why they believe they are, they don’t really say anything that is concrete or distinct. If they did, we could talk through it and show them the differences. Instead, they are usually “closed minded” to seeing what its really all about. This is dangerous…
For this group, I generally just move on. I have learned over many years this is a very difficult person to change…and it takes a ton of effort. I would rather invest the time into number 1 and 2 above and help them get to the point where they want to do something. This is much more rewarding because they truly want to be, they just need help getting there. The leader that thinks they get it is one that probably never will.
This is the group that says things like…
- “We already treat our customers really well”
- “We love our customers so I don’t really know what we would change”
- “Our customers are very important to us”
- “We have great products/services and also give great customer service”
These are “red flag” statements because they are denying there may be ways to really push the customer experience over the top and create incredible differentiation. They are limiting statements. With this group, my goal is to always get them to be in group number 1 or 2 above…because then I have a chance to show them what it’s like to be obsessed with their customers and how incredibly awesome it could be for them.
If you aren’t CUSTOMER CENTRIC or CUSTOMER OBSESSED, see what number you might fit into…and then decide if you are ready to completely change your company into something that all the major research and consulting firms are saying is the only way to survive in the future. If you are, CONGRATULATIONS…you are going to be among the elite…the few that dominate and lead their markets. You have taken the first step on the path to MOVE FROM GREAT TO REMARKABLE!!
