It may seem counterintuitive, but the focus of your business shouldn’t be on selling a product or service. Doing so prevents you from realizing your fullest potential with your customers. Instead, concentrate on the real goal and work backward from there. What is that goal? It’s the customer experience and making it as positive as it can possibly be.
I was reflecting on this as a result of the loss of one of our great contemporaries—Steve Jobs. Not only am I in the information technology industry, I’m also one of millions of delighted Apple customers. And so I found myself watching several of the videos of him that were circulating upon the announcement of his death. In one video, he told the story of a device that had been created long ago. The engineers were quite proud of its whiz-bang components and all sorts of new uses. In fact, it was way beyond anything available on the market at the time.
The engineers were focusing on the product rather than the customer and their experience. However, Jobs thought it was too complex and would fail to live up to his vision—the customer experience, or rather, an incomparable customer experience. It was that experience that mattered most to Jobs. Nothing more; nothing less. So, they never released the product.
He made a key distinction: There is a difference between what the employees imagined that the customer wanted and what the customer actually wanted. Instead of projecting onto the customer what the employees thought the customer might be looking for and working from the inside out, he wanted to understand and meet the customer’s expectations, from the outside in. In other words, he applied the criteria backwards to drive the company forward. And we all know the outcome.
Jobs accomplished this by simplifying, not complicating things. You only have to visit an Apple store (here in our community or anywhere in the world) to feel what a delightful customer experience Apple has created. From the simplicity of product design to their streamlined storefronts, Jobs succeeded in focusing on the customer experience.
The question we should all be asking ourselves is simple: Are we creating that type of experience for our customers?
If none of your customers have commented about how delighted they are with their experience, you might want to take a lesson from Steve Jobs. I’m not saying you should try to become the next Apple or even try to emulate their business model. What you should do is reverse your thinking…from selling to buying. Whether you’re a restaurant owner, a dry cleaner, a fitness instructor, or a real estate agent, the focus of your business should be to provide the best customer experience possible.
How do you provide that kind of experience? Again, take a cue from Jobs and shift your focus. Don’t think from the inside-out. Sell like a buyer. It’s all too easy on the selling side of business to lose the buyer’s perspective, but even sellers are buyers, too. And as buyers, we all know what distinguishes an enjoyable and, ideally repeatable, experience. Unfortunately, we also know what it’s like to have an unpleasant customer experience.
Remember that your best client is also your competitor’s best prospect. With each positive interaction, you’re increasing the likelihood of their repeating that experience with you. One of the most straightforward and simple ways to accomplish this is by implementing effective relationship management. It’s an attitude first and a strategy second, and it must be adopted by every member of your organization.
After all, we manage inventory, we manage “the books,” we (attempt to) manage our time, but we don’t often manage our business relationships with the same degree of care and concern. Implement simple, consistent relationship management practices, and you’ll achieve your ultimate goal: providing an excellent customer experience.
