When was the following proclaimed?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident”…that all people have a right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
America and its schools have promoted this democratic principle for centuries. Right?
But did this “obvious” truth help our country resolve the complex social conditions that galvanized the civil rights movement in the 1960’s? Of course not. We’re still working on the race issue—despite the fact that so many American “leaders” say they get it.
Or what about “the obvious” truth that “people are our most important asset?” We’ve heard that one from business leaders for decades. But how many management teams have truly executed that vision consistently, with integrated HR policies and practices in their organization, especially during downturns? Not many.
My point is this. Just because something is obvious doesn’t mean that it’s real or that you can easily execute it. And that’s where Martin’s assessment falls short. In his criticism of “The Customer Revolution,” Martin say’s it’s obvious that “customers are, and always have been, the lifeblood of any company…If you are a successful business you already know the significance of customers.”
But talk to some of those successful businesses, some of which are discussed in this book, and it will be quite obvious to you that managing the quality of your customer relationships is a complex, imperfect and at times painful undertaking, especially when you have multiple organizations and product lines. It’s not as obvious as you think, Martin.
For example, I just installed Symantic’s industry-leading pcAnywhere, so I could download files from my office onto my laptop while spending time on Cape Cod.
When it’s not crashing, it runs like a snail. My 4-year-old daughter is more effective at helping me cope with my frustration than the support I’ve received from Symantic’s customer service department, which I find pathetic. Gone is my summer dream of simple file sharing on the Cape! So, do you think I’m going to do business with this “successful” company again? As Martin would say, “Duh?”
As for other businesses, perhaps less successful, capturing the “hearts and minds” of customers for the long haul is even more arduous. Many businesses today operate without any well-thought-out strategy for selecting and developing leaders throughout their organization--leaders who truly understand the requirements for managing customer relationships. Nor have they implemented the right business practices, IT strategy or infrastructure to succeed.
And that’s why “The Customer Revolution” is relevant for anyone who wants a more sophisticated understanding of the multiple issues you face when building a “customer-centric” business. This book adds value in two key ways:
1) First, it defines the extent to which power relationships have shifted in favor of customers over suppliers. Martin is right to say that the Internet has streamlined existing B2B relationships and saved costs. But he’s totally wrong to dismiss how the Internet has help intelligent customers challenge and disrupt standard business practices in such areas as pricing structures, distribution channels, and the way companies design and deliver their products and services to customers.
2) Second, and most important, this book offers a glimpse into what a customer-centric business looks like—the strategies and best practices that business leaders have learned from their successes and failures—in an environment where customers have greater control. The book addresses such questions as:
- How do you build your business based on customer scenarios?
- What does it really take to get into your customer’s head at every stage of your relationship?
- How do you build a brand—not just around products—but around the way you want customers to feel when they interact with them?
- If the quality of your customer relationships determines the value of your company, how then do you measure and monitor that value over time?
- What leadership competencies do you need to manage your company by and for customer value?
- How well are you building your customer franchise?
This book makes a significant contribution to the ongoing discussion about what it takes to build deep customer relationships for long-term survival and growth. For people interested in that topic, it’s worth the read. Hopefully, it will motivate some folks in business to wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. And that’s not “restating the obvious.”
