Partnership - The Often Forgotten Idea In Good Customer Relationships

There is an old saying in business, the customer is always right. Ask anyone in business though and you know the customer in fact is not always right. The customer wants what they want, but that doesn't make them right. 

Since that saying doesn't work people have tried to come up with ways of saying the customer isn't always right. A number of years ago I heard someone giving a talk and they said the customer isn't always right, but the customer is always true. What they tell you is the truth, or at least what they want you to believe is the truth. I've been in a number of interactions with customers where they state something wrong. It isn't always a lie, sometimes people forget. It might not be intentional but it isn't the truth so that can't be right either.

At the end of the day the fact remains the customer wants what the customer wants, and if they don't get what they want they can always take their business elsewhere. Does that mean a business should cater to whatever whims their customer has? Absolutely not. It is important for a business to maintain their identity, be true to who they are. Just like every individual should.

Maybe what we need is for more businesses and more customers to look at things like a partnership. Having the respect for the other party and realizing they need each other, and working together to build something better. As many choices we are presented with for any type of good or service you can imagine, everything you can buy can be considered a commodity. Customers and businesses both have choices. You can go after the lowest cost option, the luxury alternative and everything in between. You can be brand loyal or you can select whoever is the top of the line in your current buying cycle. Which type of buyer do you want to attract? Which type of buyer do you want to avoid like the plague?

When we don't look at things like partnerships, specifically long term partnerships, you inevitably find yourself in a race to the bottom. Being the lowest price option on the market. Seeking out the lowest price option to purchase. There aren't many business books written about how to be successful by racing to the bottom. 

Once customers start to think of you as a partner



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What A Little Kindness Can Do

Image
I was at the grocery store recently and I had the opportunity to help a lady who had her hands full put her cart away, it literally took less than ten seconds of my time. I walked away thinking about how good that smile and thank you felt. I realized something about myself that I hadn't ever really given much thought to, how much I like being kind to others. I don't know how much of an impact it really has on a persons life, but I hope that in a world with so much negativity that I can make a small positive impact. If you think of your own life, I imagine you can think of some random acts of kindness that someone did to you, and most importantly you remember how it made you feel. I had to make an appointment one time and the receptionist made a comment about getting things setup with the important person, and I told her that she was the most important person right now because without her I wouldn't get an appointment. I imagine that she has a difficult job at times, deali
Read more

Don't Let The Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good

Image
I've heard this saying a number of times recently, in a variety of formats. I like the version that is attributed to Voltaire mostly because I like pretending to be smart by quoting Voltaire. There are too many times we don't like to move forward because we don't have all of the information, haven't covered all of the scenarios, or feel like we don't have all of the experience we need. We don't apply for our dream job because we feel like we don't have the experience needed or are simply afraid of being told we aren't right for the position. We don't want to start writing because we feel like there are lots of other writers that are much better than us. The part we never see is the countless hours of practice and bad writing that happened to become better, to be the writer we see today. Everyone starts out as a novice, a beginner. You can still make music even if you aren't Mozart. You can still write even if you aren't Shakespeare. You
Read more

Just Keep Swimming

Image
Have you ever stopped to think how brilliant Dory is? You know, Dory from Finding Nemo. If you forgot her she would understand. She had this motto that work wonders no matter what you face. Good things happen to us in life. Bad things happen in life. Frustrations happen. Setbacks. Losses. Wins. Through all of it, you really need to "Just Keep Swimming." When things are going well for you, it is easy to get lazy with what got you there. You need to keep improving, keep getting better. You need to "Just Keep Swimming." When things aren't going well for you, it is easy to give up. Setbacks don't define you. Most people will tell you out of their greatest defeats led to something even better. Learn from it and move forward. You need to "Just Keep Swimming." Life will throw all kinds of craziness your way. Whatever happens, good or bad, "Just Keep Swimming."
Read more