So many companies say that they exist to serve their customers, but if you look at their marketing materials/website/sales pitches, that message doesn’t come through. They are really there to serve themselves by taking all that their customers will give them.
The problem is, that only works for so long.
An abundance of choice, readily avilable reviews from other customers and numerous other tools make it tough for a company to hide their true motives anymore.
Obviously, a company exists to make money, but too many get focused on that money rather than the source of the money.
Two paths, choose wisely
Every business can choose one of two paths.
The first path is one of focusing on profits, revenue and how to increase those above all else. Certainly every business needs to be financially responsible, make money, pay their employees and grow. Nothing wrong with that.
The company I’m talking about is the one that makes every decision based on that money.
They don’t see their customers as people. They’re just sources of money.
A second path is one that is concerned with providing real value to their customers. They are just as interested in making strong profits, but not at the expense of alienating their customers.
These companies generally have a longer view of the business. They are looking for the first and every subsequent sale. They realize that they have to earn every vote of confidence from their customers (i.e. sale). It shows not only in how they treat their customers, but in how they treat their employees.
One can lead to the other
The funny thing is, often the companies that focus on the second path are the companies that outshine those competitors that choose the first.
Not to use the tired example of Zappos, but it’s a great example. Here’s a company selling shoes online. You can’t try them on before buying (something most people would like to do), but they have realized enormous success because they care about their customers and their employees and realized that the profits would come (and continue to come) after providing real value.
Be careful to stay on the right path
Many people will pay lipservice to this concept of treating people well, providing value and taking care of their customers, but when it comes down to it, they stagger back on to the first path. They are willing to compromise the quality of the experience they deliver to save a buck here or earn a buck there.
That’s a slippery slope because for every compromise, you remove one more thing that makes your company unique.
It is for that reason that you need to have a laser-like focus on continually delivering that experience (or a better one), even when it seems like you’ve “made it.”
Make sure that the great user experience you set up on day one is still in place on day 1,000, or you may not have many days left.
