It pays to be customer-centric. Literally.
You must center your thoughts on what it’s like to be your own customer. What do they want? Where do they hurt? What are their desires, frustrations or fears?
If you’re in business, your sole purpose is to offer a solution to your customer’s problem. If you want a sustainable business, your solution must be superior to all the others.
Last week, I began a story of how my wife Lisa and I embarked on a journey from “no thanks” to “I do” that spanned about 24 months.
The turning point involved a gallon of sweet tea.
When Lisa and I first met, I was walking on a narrow country road. Thinking that I was having car trouble (no one in his right mind would walk this road), she offered me a ride.
“No, thanks.”
I was walking by choice. My destination was within walking distance, and the weather was perfect.
Little did I know that this was Divine Intervention in our lives. I was not “in the market” for a ride, and certainly not looking for a wife. Lisa was already at her quota for husbands; she had one in the passenger seat, with two boys in the back for good measure!
But life throws you curveballs. Circumstances change.
Lisa’s husband was soon diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a very aggressive brain tumor.
A couple of days before surgery, I asked Lisa, “What do you need?”
“Caffeine. Lots of caffeine.”
On the way to the hospital, I stopped at a restaurant and bought a gallon jug of sweet tea and four large cups of ice.
Lisa was so happy to get her caffeine that she almost hugged my neck vigorously enough to make my eyes pop out!
She had revealed her need, and I responded with the solution. Lisa says that, by listening to her and acting upon her desires, I became a credible person who stood out among the crowd.
If your goal is more sales opportunities this year, you will do well to put yourself in your customer’s place. Rather than trying to talk a prospect into buying your stuff, listen to them and come back with a product that fits their needs.
If you find yourself running short on people who are willing to have a sales conversation with you, it’s time to do some lead generation activities. And that, too, starts with putting yourself in your customer’s place.
Just as the jug of tea presented a practical solution to a very specific need for Lisa – and differentiated me from others in the crowd – you must solve a real-world problem for your customer. You will achieve top-of-mind awareness when you use listening skills and creative thinking to become customer-centric.
When you offer your solution in exchange for contact information (email address or phone number), you are engaged in lead generation. Your solution is the lead magnet, and it is the free gift or incentive that motivates your “suspect” to become a prospect by sharing their contact info. Once you receive an email address and permission to contact your new prospect with relevant marketing messages, you have taken the first step on your journey from “no thanks” to “I do.”
More on that next week.
Here’s a huge “thank you” to Jodi Bowlin at Knoxville Soap, Candle & Gifts and Beth Wade at the Fountain City Business and Professionals Association for the opportunity to tell people about the journey from “No thanks” to “I do” this week.
