Sorry that we have been neglecting this blog and our ezines for the past 4 months. But we have not disappeared, just got busy with helping our clients solve their problems.
I heard this quote the other day that prompted me back into action
“One of the most expensive habits you can adopt in a business is to assume you understand something that is fundamental to your success"
Business leaders can be tempted to make assumptions rather than ensure they really try to understand some customer issues.
Here are nine assumptions that business leaders sometimes make but can result in misleading conclusions. If you are making any of these assumptions it will probably be limiting your growth prospects. Do you ever assume that
1. You must tell the customer how great you are?
2. Customers are happy based on customer satisfaction research results?
3. You know the most important reason customers buy your products?
4. If you lower the prices sales volume will increase?
5.
6. You should do something because the competition is doing it?
7. You should do exactly what your customers tell you?.
8. Customers want to buy everything from you not just what you are best at?
9. We already know enough about the competition?
In our experience successful businesses do not assume. They work hard to understand. They seek to unravel the mysteries of how customers choose what to buy and so become more attractive to more customers, who then buy more of their products and services more often.
On Assumption 4., "You should do exactly what your customers tell you":
As an American who's first jobs were in retail, I was constantly told that the "customer is always right", but after a while I realised that's not always the case. Your advice to NOT focus on what the customer tells you to do, but rather on what their problem is and solving it with your own expertise (which is why they hired you in the first place), is more effective and less anxiety provoking!
Posted by: Henry | April 30, 2009 at 11:47 AM