We have heard the phrase about the customer being king often enough. But as is the case when most commoners meet royalty, we get tongue-tied in their presence. Most often than not, we feel shy and inadequate in the presence of the customer. As a result, the encounter, which could have been interactive and enlightening, ends up as just a transaction. The buyer buys, the seller sells and nobody speaks to the other, thus losing a golden opportunity to learn from each other.
Why does this happen? Why is it that despite knowing that the person on the other side of the counter has the answers to our most nagging questions, we hardly spare the time to start a conversation? We don’t need to be great conversationalist to do this, we just need to be interested enough. Sometimes we get so preoccupied in the business of selling, that we fail to see the opportunity staring at us in the face.
It is not enough to crown the customer as king, we need to make them feel like one. In the July 31 issue of 360 Magazine cover article, “Re-crowning the customer”, we see how manufacturers and distributors spend immense amount of time, effort and money to get the marketing strategy right. And discover how ineffective these strategies sometimes turn out to be.
As channel partners, most of us do not have access to unlimited funds to carry out customer surveys. But what we do have is ample access to the customer himself. Most customers being new to technology themselves are shy and hesitant buyers, not knowing if they will be asking the right questions. So, be the proactive party, be approachable and you will find the answers to not just business dilemmas, but also growth strategies.
Sometimes the greatest truths are told in the simplest stories.