The key thing you need to understand is that customer obsession is the main driver of growth.The secret of growth is customer obsession.
It’s a race to the bottom, and in a hyper-connected and globalized marketplace, the competition is based on price or features alone. Your product will be made slightly cheaper and/or faster somewhere, someday, by somebody. How, then, do the world’s mightiest companies stay on top? They no longer look at their buyers as just data points, but rather at the center of their world.
At Quotenestify, we learn the philosophies of good companies vs legendary companies. It’s not about a flashy marketing campaign, it’s about an uncompromising focus on the user experience that has made it modern business growth secret. It is a concept that can be referred to as “customer obsession” and it converts simple transactions into brand evangelism.
Let’s get started with four business quotes that illustrate the importance of serving people when building a business.
1. Jeff Bezos: The Pioneer’s Advantage
Being customer-focused means you’re more pioneering than competitor-focused, which means you have to wait until there is a competitor doing something.
— Jeff Bezos
The Context:
One of Jeff Bezos’ early rules for the executive meeting is that he would leave a chair without any occupant. That empty seat was for the customer, “the most important person in the room.
The Philosophy in Practice:
Many companies develop their strategy by viewing sideways. They observe what their competitors are doing and then go to copy or perhaps slightly beat their record. This allows you to never be more than one step behind. Bezos’s saying points to one of the main reasons why customer obsession is the ultimate driver of innovation. Customers are always a little bit discontent, always a little bit better; they’re always at the crossroads. When a business ignores competition, and only works on the Customer’s problem, it creates the future, it doesn’t just react to what is happening now.
2. Tony Hsieh: Service as an Identity.Tony Hsieh: Service as an Identity.
Customer service shouldn’t be a department, it should be the whole company.
— Tony Hsieh
The Context:
Tony Hsieh was an entrepreneur who turned Zappos into a billion dollar company and is well known for its out-of-the-box, company culture. Zappos was known for its call center, where representatives were encouraged to keep talking to customers for hours and sometimes order them a pizza in lieu of shoes.
The Philosophy in Practice:
In a typical corporate setting, the role of customer service is considered a cost centre, a department where customers are dealt with at the bottom of the organisation. Hsieh broke this pattern. He said that each and every one of his employees, from the top software engineer to the marketing director, was here to serve the user. In the end, the entire organization can see every interaction with a customer as a chance to create a connection on an emotional level, and the brand becomes a trusted friend instead of a vendor.
3. Howard Schultz: The Human Connection
We are not in the coffee business serving people, we’re in the people business serving coffee.
— Howard Schultz
The Context:
Howard Schultz didn’t want to sell just roasted beans when he became the CEO of Starbuck’s. He was influenced by the espresso bars of Italy, and envisioned a “Third Place” to be a comfortable respite from work and home.
The Philosophy of Practice:
Coffee is one of the commodities that can be found everywhere on earth. It’s easy to make at home and only costs pennies. However, millions of people are willing tostand in line every morning to pay a premium for Starbucks. Why? As Schultz knew that the feeling is the product. Individuals need connection, consistency and belonging. The barista that remembered your name and your order is no coincidence, it’s a carefully crafted hospitality strategy. Once you get the human side of your business right, the product will sell itself.
4. The company that Sam Walton founded is now known as Walmart.
There is only one boss, he’s the customer and he can fire the chairman and everybody in the company, he can just spend his money somewhere else.
— Sam Walton
The Context:
In 1962, Sam Walton started Walmart, and was a radical believer in bringing the price down for rural Americans. He would walk the floors of his own stores as well as his competitors’ stores, spending hours watching the stock, talking about complaints and what people were looking for in their everyday shopping.
The Philosophy in Practice:
With their high-rise offices, corporate executives are easily able to fall into the illusion that the Board of Directors or CEO has the power. Walton’s line is an excellent, sobering reminder. The only one who deposits money in the company bank account is the customer. They are the most judgmental and ruthless brand evaluators. But if you forget what they need, you’re not going to get it to last long.
Transactional vs. Customer-Obsessed Models
However, a real customer centric culture needs to shift the mindset of a business from a customer perspective.
The focus is on transactions, focusing on the customer is the focus.
| — | — | — |
To maximize the value derived from each individual sale. | To maximize the value derived from each individual sale A user’s lifetime value and loyalty. |
Sees complaints as a hassle, and tries to avoid them. | Sees complaints as a free, valuable source of data for improvement. |
A monthly stream of new clients and a growing percentage of sales. | Customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as referrals and brand affection. |
The Strategy | “How can we get people to buy what we make? | “What do people need and how can we make it for them? |
Customer obsession is not just a marketing strategy, it’s a state of mind. You place your company on the shoulders of these visionaries and you know that your business will continue to be a company that is not only making money but making its money because it deserves it.
