The need to understand and serve our customers has never been more paramount. Over the years, countless thought leaders have articulated the critical importance of a customer-centric approach. Yet, what does being truly customer-centric entail?
In previous chapters, we’ve discussed the many facets of the customer-centricity concept. But to reiterate, being customer-centric isn't merely a strategy or a buzzword. It's a mindset—a commitment.
Being customer-centric means having the tactical empathy and truly understanding your customers and wanting to serve them.
Let's see what some of the world's most renowned thinkers have to say about these 3 ingredients.
Whom do you want to serve?
Identifying and understanding your target audience is the bedrock of effective business strategy.
Many thought leaders and experts emphasize the importance of serving customers and being selective about whom to serve.
Seth Godin provides the richest insights on serving customers effectively.
Others with their unique perspective complete the picture on deciding whom to serve and how best to provide them value.
Michael E. Porter
Porter's groundbreaking frameworks in business strategy, such as his Five Forces, have always been geared towards helping businesses identify their audience (=helping businesses decide whom to serve). Through his value chain concept, he further delves into developing unique value propositions and how businesses can offer unique value to their chosen customers.
Philip Kotler
Often considered the father of modern marketing, Kotler's work has emphasized understanding customer needs and providing value. His segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) approach is all about choosing which customers to serve and how to serve them effectively.
Gary Vaynerchuk
An entrepreneur and speaker, Vaynerchuk often talks about the importance of genuinely serving customers in the digital age. He emphasizes "jab, jab, jab, right hook," meaning businesses should provide value (serve) multiple times before expecting anything in return.
Brian Chesky
The co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Chesky emphasizes the importance of a company culture focused on serving its community of users. Airbnb's early days were filled with stories of Chesky and his team meeting with hosts and guests to understand and serve their needs better.
Jeff Bezos
The founder of Amazon, Bezos is renowned for his customer obsession. He believes in working backwards from the customer's needs and wants. His letters to shareholders and various interviews underscore the importance he places on serving customers.
Being customer-centric means deeply understanding your customers through empathy and having a genuine desire to serve them.
Really Undestanding your Customers
Beyond identifying the audience, lies the profound responsibility of understanding them.
"Truly understanding your customer" is a theme shared by many authors and experts across the business, marketing, sales, and product fields.
While it's difficult to attribute this general idea to one specific individual, several come to mind who have emphasized the importance of deeply understanding one's customers in their works.
Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker frequently emphasized the importance of understanding the customer. He once famously said, "The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."
Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek: In his book "Start with Why" and his popular TED Talk, Sinek emphasizes the importance of understanding the "why" behind what businesses do, which inherently requires a deep understanding of customers and their motivations.
Clayton Christensen
The late Harvard Business School professor delves in his book "The Innovator's Dilemma" and other writings, deep into the Jobs-To-Be-Done theory, stressing the need to understand the job customers are hiring a product or service to do.
Tony Hsieh
In his book "Delivering Happiness," the former CEO of Zappos emphasizes the company's core value of delivering a great customer service experience, which is rooted in understanding and empathizing with customers.
Steve Blank
Steve Blank: Often associated with the Lean Startup movement, Blank's "Customer Development" methodology is about startups getting out of the building to interact with and understand their potential customers.
Being customer-centric means employing empathy tactically, truly understanding your customers, and wanting to serve them.
Empathy for Your Customers
When we talk of understanding, it's impossible to sideline the role of empathy.
The phrase "having the tactical empathy" is a bit unusual. "Tactical empathy" is a term popularized by Chris Voss, primarily in the context of negotiation. By choosing it we underscore the strategic importance of empathy in business.
The concept of having empathy for customers, understanding their needs, and communicating effectively is a central tenet of customer-centric businesses and human-centered design. It's the bridge that connects businesses to their customers' hearts and minds.
To no surprise several thought leaders and authors have discussed the importance of empathy in understanding and communicating with customers in various contexts.
They emphasize different facets of the overarching idea that by deeply understanding (and empathizing with) our customers, we can better serve them and help them achieve their goals.
Brené Brown
As a research professor who has delved deep into human emotions like vulnerability and empathy, Brown's works stress the importance of understanding and connecting with others. While her work isn't strictly business-focused, the principles she discusses can be applied to understanding and empathizing with customers.
Geoffrey Moore
In "Crossing the Chasm," Moore discusses the challenges of marketing innovative tech products to mainstream consumers. Deep understanding and empathy for various customer segments (early adopters, early majority, etc.) are crucial concepts in his work.
Tim Brown & Jocelyn Wyatt
As key figures at IDEO, a global design and innovation firm, they champion the concept of human-centered design. This involves deeply understanding and empathizing with the end-users (customers) to design products, services, and experiences that genuinely cater to their needs.
Tony Zambito
A pioneer of the buyer persona concept, Zambito emphasizes understanding buyers (or customers) not just demographically but psychographically. His work revolves around deeply understanding and empathizing with customers to guide marketing and sales strategies.
Alan Cooper
Known as the "Father of Visual Basic," Cooper emphasizes the importance of designing for user needs in his book "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum." His concept of "persona" design revolves around deeply understanding and empathizing with users to create better software interfaces.
Donald Miller
In "Building a StoryBrand," Miller discusses the importance of positioning customers as the hero in a brand's narrative. This inherently requires understanding, empathizing with, and communicating effectively with customers to guide them towards their goals.
Daniel Pink
In his book "To Sell is Human," Pink discusses the importance of attunement (which involves empathy) to understand perspectives and communicate effectively, whether you're selling a product or pitching an idea.
Conclusion
As we culminate our exploration into customer-centricity, one thing stands clear: to thrive in today's business landscape, understanding and empathizing with our customers isn't just an option—it's an imperative.
Drawing from the insights of these great minds, let's recommit ourselves to place our customers at the heart of all our endeavors.
Only then can we build enduring relationships and sustainable business success #customerCentricGrowth
