Customers know about their business, however, we as sales people know more about how our product has helped other users. Explain how our product has helped similar businesses improve their profits, operation, saved money, or whatever benefit we can help achieve. I have found that prospects are always interested to discover how other companies have gained an advantage by using our product.

Granular level detail on who your customers are. In a digital era, it is very easy to lose the personal experience unless you have meaningful data driven conversations. Empathy can go a long way in building true, long-term relationships.

Understand how they like to do business with you. In telco, you have a mix of periodic buys every few months (accessories), a big ticket item every year or two (device) and then an ongoing subsciption. The old days of trekking to the retail store or being on hold for 30 minutes are well over, however a lot of telcos do not put themselves in their customers position. They don’t understand the frustration of signing 8 sheets of paper and sitting in store for 45 minutes when signing up to a contract, or how infuriating it can be in a call queue for what seems like forever. So, give the customer to freedom to Transact Anywhere, on their terms, when they like. Be that laying in bed, or sitting on the beach, or on the go between meetings – let them visit a store and do what they need to but get their good delviered to them at work the next day. In short – Put. The. Customer. First.

The most important thing a business should understand about its customers, is that it should never assume it understands its customers. In my various communications roles, I have learned that the right balance of business engagement with customers is to talk 20% of the time, and spend the other 80% listening – and this listening should be the foundations of any and all business and communications strategies.

In an environment of greater connectivity and transparency, customers increasingly have the tools to inform themselves and are far savvier and discerning as a result. If they are communicated with inauthentically, they will know. If they believe that a company doesn’t understand them – and what’s important to them – they are likely to go somewhere else. Broad, general consumer research will always find similarities among certain customer segments and demographics – and while this should absolutely be analysed to inform business strategy, taking stock of one’s own customer base is essential for meaningful and sustainable customer engagement.

Today, a brand’s customers have more power than ever, and one of the most important pieces of intel for a business or brand is to understand the way in which its customers search, receive and digest information. At H+K, we take a data-driven approach to helping our clients understand not only the way their customers receive information, but what is most impactful.

It is no mystery with technology and the immediacy of the social media landscape the world grows more interconnected each day. As a result, customers become more knowledgeable and quickly opinionated. That knowledge and opinion is power and, in some cases, can make or break a business. The days of a set of media outlets to target with a brand’s message are gone. Today, we work with clients to go deeper into what is really moving the needle with their customers. It is not the headlines that are driving buying behavior, but rather the influencers and news outlets they have decided to turn to for information. And importantly, what is no longer debatable is that global businesses must be truthful, transparent and operate at the highest standards of behaviour – not just because they owe it to their customers, employees and communities, but because these audiences demand it.

The simple answer is “everything” – their ambitions, needs, wants, drivers, influences and influencers. It’s not enough to know a single data point, you have to look in the round and understand more; if you want to build a dependable, trusted and long-term relationship. If you just want to sell something in a very transactional manner and move on, then you can be more targeted in your what you need to know and how you respond to that – the world of programmatic advertising is well geared to support that approach. However, to build an ongoing, effective customer relationship you need to learn more about your customer over time; progressively understanding (or profiling) them – your offer has to evolve with them as their life and/or business evolves and their needs/wants along with them.

2020 has been the year that proved, knowing and engaging your customers is more valuable than just transacting with them; being on the front-foot, providing what you can with no expectation of reward or return, has garnered trust and cemented solid brand affinity (and relationships) for a lot of business – incredibly valuable and important as we head into an extended period of recession. Of course the counter to that is also true for those firms who have not invested in customers.

Listen, learn, understand and engage – every customer is different, but whether it’s products/services for life or business that you provide; remember it’s ultimately a human that’s making that decision on where to go. We’ve all had one hell of a shared experience this last year, and with it has come a higher set of expectations.

Remember that your customers are people just like you! And remember that because they are people they all have a fear of making the wrong decision. If you can get inside your customer’s head and justify THEIR decision to buy from YOU then I believe you’ve understood the most important thing about them as customers and people.

I think the most important thing from a marketing perspective should be to understand customer intent. That way, you can align your communications with their intentions, rather than just your business intentions. Understanding customer intentions allows you to concentrate your budget and communications where needed rather than have a blanket approach based on a sector or industry. This approach should flow through your website, email marketing and advertising, particularly if you are re-targeting customers.

That’s a great question! I’d say that every business should really understand their customers’ business needs.

Understanding customers’ business needs allows you to guilde all functions in your organization to solving that underlying need – From building a product that solves their pain, to creating a marketing plan that raises awareness for your solution and acquire new leads, to refining your Go-To-Market strategy in way that would make buying a solution for their needs a seamless buying experience.

We’ve grown accustomed to an online world where all aspects of customer behaviour can be monitored, and companies can engage in microtargeting.

We help our clients to understand their customers within a bricks & mortar environment through parking data and other rich data sources, spotting new behaviour trends as they emerge.

Understanding changes to customer behaviour, such as new peak visitor times, changes to dwell times and changes in the customer demographic have been invaluable to our clients during this Covid period.

Understanding who your customers are, and knowing how to connect with them are two different things.
Don’t fall into the trap of creating user personas for the sake of ticking a box., or run campaigns that try to appeal to users in a soft way by connecting with the superficial parts of the personas rather than there genuine needs/concerns.
Make it a habit in your organisation to validate ideas against the customers needs often.

Their vision and the problems you solve in helping them get there. Every customer will have a glimpse of what the future looks like for them, even if it has not been formalised. Their vision maybe short term and in the shape of goals, or long term and represented by an awe-inspiring statement. If your customer is a consumer they will have a desire or something that needs fulfilment. No matter what, there will be a future vision in there and we exist to help our customers achieve where they want to go and what they want be. We all offer services or products that solves something for our customers and being relentlessly focused on this, and the evolution of this, will be the key to any business success.

When you run a business, people will often tell you about the importance of ‘intuition’ or ‘gut instinct’. Intuition certainly has an important place in decision making and you should not ignore your instincts any more than you should ignore your conscience. But neither should you rely on intuition alone. Anyone who thinks it is a substitute for reason is mistaken. In highly complex and changeable environments, like our current pandemic, you absolutely need the right mix of both. The more options you have to evaluate, the more data you have to weigh, and the more unprecedented the challenges you face, the more you should rely on reason, analysis and intuition.

Customers are people, just like me and you! It’s easy to think of your audience as a set of numbers in a campaign report but this can lead to replicating concepts that you know will provide a set result. Always think outside the box, trust your creative instinct and engineer something new, unique and playful that you yourself would stop and stare in awe at. If it interests your creative self, it will intrigue others – emotional content is memorable and that’s how you build a solid connection between the brand and the user.

Businesses should remember they wouldn’t exist without their customers.
They are the most important asset and should be treated as such through every single engagement they have with your business.
I was once asked would I make the same decision in the board room if a customer of ours was sat in there with us? If the answer is no then you are not putting your customers at the heart of your business.
Ask your customers for regular feedback, don’t second guess what they want, ask and listen to them and build your business and services to meet their needs and demands, not how you think it should be built.
Ask, listen and put your customers first, as without them you will not have a business.

In business, I cannot overstate the importance of maintaining a good client relationship – without this you have nothing. In a world where we all sell similar products, some purchasing decision are still made on cost alone. However, what price can you put on failure to get what you have paid for? Smart buying decisions also consider other factors, like who’s going to cause more problems than they are going to solve and who has a reputation for delivering the right solution? When it comes to the design and build of a data centre, the old adage that ‘people buy from people’ is so relevant. That’s why after almost 20 years, I am proud to say that 2bm have delivered on time, on budget and to the clients’ satisfaction on every single project we have ever worked on. And the reason we are today recognised as the turn-to company for expertise, quality, innovation, care and value

Without a doubt, knowing and understanding what value your customers are looking to gain by using your product or service is the most fundamental component to know. If you don’t, then how can you be sure they’ll be happy and continue to be a life-long customer?

It’s critical to understand what the business is trying to achieve and how quickly they want to achieve it. What are their goals, their issues and their measures of success? What timescales are they working to? This one is especially important when it comes to tying in with many other aspects of their business and/or marketing strategy.

Many times our customers will ask for something very specific to be built into our eCommerce platform. Of course, we could just add exactly what is requested – however, this alone wouldn’t ensure a successful project. To confirm we are aligned with the business we ask the questions – what are you trying to achieve by adding this? Is there a wider problem you are trying to solve? Is there a date you are working to?

We find that by asking these bigger questions we can work closer with our customers, understand their business better and often than not, we already have a solution readily available, or can make their idea more efficient/complete.

Visualsoft was established over 21 years ago and as you can imagine we have learnt a lot not only from our in house teams, but also through our partners and our customers. This combined knowledge is invaluable and allows us to successfully grow our customers’ online businesses.

Customer feedback has done and will always help to drive our development direction.

I would say listen to your customer needs rather than listening out for what you want to hear. Work on the relationship with your customers and the sales will follow automatically.

The most important thing to remember is that each customer is different; we shouldn’t be lazy in thinking we can apply the same one size fits all solution to all of our customers. As a marketer, it’s my job to anticipate what my customers want before they know they want it. Also reminding myself regularly of the power of asking customers what they’re feeling, because ultimately everyone (customers included) want to connect and feel connected.

The single most important thing you should understand about your customer is WHO THEY ARE. It’s easy to get sidetracked by great ideas that might not necessarily work for your demographic. Know your audience and provide them with a product that achieves genuine satisfaction. If you’re successful with this, there will always be time to try something new and merge into other markets further down the line but the focus is key to create tangible results.

You should focus on understanding your customers vision and objective. By focusing on this you will be able to understand the customers challenges.
These challenges can be on different levels and it is here you can start to plan how to offer a valuable proposition to your customer.
The “old” way of drumming on your offering without listening is long gone. Do some research about your customer, ask a lot of question in order to understand your customer position is key to find a way that your offering brings value. This is the way to build a long term partnership with your customer.

Understand your customers’ pain points. It is essential that you consistently take the time to listen and understand what your customer’s problems are, and why they face them. Your core product or service needs to solve these fundamental issues, only then can you call them your customer and branch out into value add activities that prevent future pain points and enrich their experience and lives.

The psychological stages ALL customers go through, from the point where they have never heard of you, to the point they become your loyal repeat customers NEVER changes.

To use the Kotler model these stages are Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial, Adoption, Loyalty. Or to put it more colloquially – Know, Like, Trust, Try, Buy, Repeat/Refer

So don’t get mesmerised by shiny objects. New tactical technologies and channels will always emerge to attract and engage customers. But your customer strategy, mapped to the fundamental psychological buyer journey stages, across marketing, sales and client service, has to be rock solid first.

The key word here is ‘strategy’. Tactics without strategy is expensive and ineffective guesswork. Nail your buyer journey strategy and the tactics to deliver compelling profit growth will become obvious.

I believe the most important thing any business should understand about it’s cusomers is what their expecations are and comunicate to them what what is realistic so that they feel satisfied with the service we provide.

Understand they they are only human and it’s OK to say no. Customers have good days, bad days and deadline issues just like the rest of us. If we can understand our customers as individuals and know that we can have that awkward conversation if things aren’t going to plan, because they don’t always! By tapping tapping into humanity rather than a logo, I find the customer relationship is positive, challenging ()in a good way) and above all respectful in both directions.

Customers are individuals and want to be listened to and their needs understood

Customers’ feelings about the brand since feelings drive the desire, desire creates needs, needs drive actions, actions lead to purchase and loyalty to the brand. The latter makes them part of the culture.
Understanding customers’ feelings is the key to giving them good service which in turn results into strong customer relationships and new sales through positive word-of-mouth recommendation.

Now, they (customers) talk about the product, about the company, they design the brand in their mind as they see it, as they feel it. An extended arm of the brand marketing and publicity. In summary word of mouth marketing which increases sales, loyalty and business growth.

The single most important thing a business should know about its customers, is what problem they have. Then make sure your product / service is the solution. Many businesses look at this the other way around, creating a product / service which they then have to find a customer for. In my experience, the most successful businesses are those which have created a product / service which solves the customers’ problem and addresses their pain-points.

They are human, just like you. They are trying to grow their business, get ahead of the competition and avoid any bear traps along the way. So do what you can to help them and they may just find a need for your product(s) and service(s).

Not to take it as a given that customers understand the value of what you are offering in the same way that you do (false consensus bias)

I’m going to avoid all the usual clichés and say that the most important thing a business should understand about its customers is …
EVERYTHING.
Macro, micro, competitors, corporate ambition, personal ambition, nuances, likes, dislikes, small detail, how many sugars. EVERYTHING.
By understanding it all, you can deal with most. Through the good times, and the bad.
And one things for sure in business, you’ll have plenty of both.

Why they go for you over your competitors. What makes your business unique and keeps your regular customers coming back for more, is it excellent customer service or is it a unique dish that they can’t get anywhere else.

That they’re human! And by that I mean, they make their decisions on a personal as well as a professional level. You can have the finest AI and insight tools, the best metrics, the sharpest pricing, but if you don’t listen to and understand your customer as a human being with all the pressures of their job, their own performance, their personality traits and their life, then you’re missing a huge amount about how you can better work with them and how you can grow their contribution to your business.

Get to know your customers on a personal level and you’ll find that your business with them will naturally evolve and grow. They’ll remember you and keep coming back.

And as your business grows, don’t ever lose touch with those customers. By all means hire the right people to manage the relationships but always keep key clients and their traits and behaviours close to every decision you make.

There is no single most important thing to understanding our customers they are all different and all have different expectations. Generally, you need to listen and understand them and their needs. Once you understand the customer you have to manage their expectations and service these needs on individual bases. Repeat business and new business alike requires you to be flexible to specific requirements and be able to adapt to the surroundings of the workplace and premises. Service requires the whole team to have the same ethos, this will also include things like on time and on budget.

The most important thing businesses should understand about its customers is how they can help fix their problems. Business is about problem solving and delivering value beyond what they pay for. In today’s uncertain business conditions, you cannot behave the way you always have done – offer to help your customers for free, this reminds them why they love working with you.

Understand what it will take for you to delight your customers so that they stay loyal and come back for more!

It is super important to try to put yourself in their shoes and take the time to see how they see your business. Only then can you really respond to and service their needs.

Being singularly obsessed with the understanding the pain points and needs of Canopy customers.

It’s about going out there, talking with our customers to understand what are the top-3 issues that they are currently facing and how we Canopy can help. Every product / feature we launch on Canopy has to deliver 10x value to Letting Agents whilst continually working towards our ultimate mission – helping millions of Renters improve their relationship with money.

Every business will be different. As providers of resinstatment cost assessments (buildings valuations for insurance) we need to understand that our advice can dramatically change a customer’s outcome in the event of a serious loss. At the same time, with so much underinsurance, our advice can mean a customer paying more premium. This often causes concerns and we have to always be mindful of the situation from the customers point of view and guide them through the process.

Don’t forget to listen to what your clients have to say, you may learn something new which could be of benefit to your other client

Businesses should understand that if they make it hard for their customers to buy, pay for or use their products then customers will either find an alternative or simply not purchase at all. In many cases “customer apathy” that results in a non-purchase is a greater competitor than your real-life competitors!

Be very honest about what sets you apart form your competition, and then make this a guarantee this to your customer. The customer needs to be with you to improve their business, and then the partnership becomes a given, natural, and never in doubt…

The customer journey & experience is as important as the deal under discussion. Customers who feel informed, engaged & valued are far more return in future.

The most single and important thing a company must understand about its customers is that the staff are more important than them! …. Happy staff = happy customers.

What is preventing our customer from being able to do their job (B2B) or live their life (B2C) in the best and easiest way, bearing in mind that this ‘way’ may be inconceivable to the customer and may not even currently be possible.

Ask yourself “who really is THE customer?” In my industry the customers’ customer is who we are trying to inspire and please- on that basis we are both working to the same goal and collaboration should be easy. Whether its about doing something to address new and growing trends- Veganism, reduced packaging, CSR or a weekday treat, the end the point is the same.

The customers time is the their most valuable asset. Consider that they not only want everything fast, but they want to order fast and conveniently. Nobody has time these days to waste, its not all about price. This is how Amazon have managed to quickly dominate the entire market by reducing the time a consumer spends from going from the awareness stage to having the product physically in their hands.

Reduce the time it takes for the entire customer journey and you will have happy, repeating customers. Customers don’t want dramas and neither should suppliers.

Be in the knowledge that your clients can always look elsewhere so service and quality of service should always be paramount!

All customers are different, you need to quickly understand the drivers and alleviate any potential concerns.

Customers are NOT interested in buying your services, they are interested in buying solutions to their problems. They don’t stay awake at night thinking about how much they need your offers, but what does keep them up is worrying about needing less stress, more time, higher income, better health and energy, more love and affection in their lives. As business owners, it is our job to sell our customers what they want and deliver to them what they actually need to overcome their problems. Your marketing message becomes magnetic when you sell the destination and not the transportation!

The single most important thing a business should understand about its customers is… how do we earn their trust. If they trust us, we have the opportunity to build relationships, empathy and rapport. If they trust us, they will share with us their real challenges. If they trust us, they will allow us to demonstrate how we provide help and value to them. And if they trust us, we will enjoy long term profitable and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Customer do not want your company to be the hero. The customer is the hero and they should be yours to. Your company is the guide, someone who finds out what they need/want and then challenge them with a difference of opinion or another option. If you do not have what the customer needs then they are not a customer and you should guide them to someone who can help them, even if it means directing them to the competition. They will remember the wise guide who was an expert and when they need your product they will call?

We at Minotti always try to put ourselves in our customers shoes. Imagine what service you would expect and give that and more to the client. Good communication is key. Never assume that you know what the client is after. Keep the client informed and be honest. If you have made a mistake, do not hide it but be upfront and take responsibility. People appreciate honesty. We sell a very high end product and with that comes a high end service, not just during the process of buying but also for many years after having purchased. The old saying of “the client is king” still holds true today. Giving good service will ensure that clients will return to you for many years to come, if not a lifetime of brand loyalty.

For me, understanding customers is the key to giving them a good service and keeping them happy at all times. After all, knowing and understanding customer needs is at the centre of every successful business. The customer simply wants to know that they are being understood and someone is going to help them. Getting this right will help tailor your product offerings and provide personalised treatment, thus increasing customer satisfaction and bringing in new business through positive word of mouth.

Our passion is supporting our customers, so for us its…

What are your customers 3 most important CHALLENGES?

These golden answers can then form the basis of your blogs,
website copy, marketing collateral, campaigns and conversations.

Tier and segment your database, (if you have different offerings and
customer types). You may find the groups tend to have similar challenges
and will help you tailor your campaigns, increasing engagement and open rates.

Remember to use this info regularly, as humans we quickly resort to the norm,
until new habits are bedded in and ensure this information is always on display,
so that your team use/think about them daily too.

Customers provide us with revenue but equally important, insights. For every upset customer we’ve spoken learned and improved our processes to prevent others from experiencing the same issue. For every neutral customers, we’ve dug deep to find how we can go a step further to turn them into a brand champion that comes back and refers other customers. For every customer who’s been ecstatic with our service, we’ve sought to understand why so that we may replicate their experience at scale.

Customers provide us with revenue but equally important, insights. For every upset customer we’ve spoken learned and improved our processes to prevent others from experiencing the same issue. For every neutral customers, we’ve dug deep to find how we can go a step further to turn them into a brand champion that comes back and refers other customers. For every customer who’s been ecstatic with our service, we’ve sought to understand why so that we may replicate their experience at scale.

Your customers don’t just buy your products. They buy your beliefs. Don’t be scared to tell your customers what you believe and how those beliefs will change culture. In short, don’t just tell them wot you do, tell them why you do it!

Your customers don’t just buy your products. They buy your beliefs. Don’t be scared to tell your customers what you believe and how those beliefs will change culture. In short, don’t just tell them wot you do, tell them why you do it!

There is an old saying in PR agencies that you don’t just need to know your customers from a business perspective but from a personal perspective. Relationships have 4 stages, 1= purely transactional, 2 = commercial collaborators, 3 = trusted partners, 4 = reciprocal ambassadors. To reach the holy grail of reciprocal ambassadors you need to step in when everyone else fails. Take an example: someone you know as a client gets made redundant. What do you do? Share in the goss for a bit and then forget about them? Or do you go against the grain, call them, contact them, help them network, evangelise them to your contacts? The latter may help them get a new role and keep you as a friend for life. A close friend and CEO of a household name business did exactly that recently and 6 months later his business landed a multi million contract, as the only person who bothered to step in and help. Don’t be afraid to cultivate every single contact. from knowing the name of their favourite team, to their partner’s name, their pets name, their kids, you get the picture. And don’t be afraid to step in when everyone else fails. And measure people by who steps in when the same happens to you.

There is an old saying in PR agencies that you don’t just need to know your customers from a business perspective but from a personal perspective. Relationships have 4 stages, 1= purely transactional, 2 = commercial collaborators, 3 = trusted partners, 4 = reciprocal ambassadors. To reach the holy grail of reciprocal ambassadors you need to step in when everyone else fails. Take an example: someone you know as a client gets made redundant. What do you do? Share in the goss for a bit and then forget about them? Or do you go against the grain, call them, contact them, help them network, evangelise them to your contacts? The latter may help them get a new role and keep you as a friend for life. A close friend and CEO of a household name business did exactly that recently and 6 months later his business landed a multi million contract, as the only person who bothered to step in and help. Don’t be afraid to cultivate every single contact. from knowing the name of their favourite team, to their partner’s name, their pets name, their kids, you get the picture. And don’t be afraid to step in when everyone else fails. And measure people by who steps in when the same happens to you.

Understanding your customers is a continuous loop…and your customer has many, many touchpoints. Too often firms pay lip service to putting the customer at the heart of what they do. Everyone has a part to play, everything a company does to keep connected to its customers needs to be shared and actioned.

Understanding your customers is a continuous loop…and your customer has many, many touchpoints. Too often firms pay lip service to putting the customer at the heart of what they do. Everyone has a part to play, everything a company does to keep connected to its customers needs to be shared and actioned.

In my business, it’s understanding what keeps our customers awake at night. If you can identify that, and then find a solution for it, there will always be budget available, even in these straitened times.

In my business, it’s understanding what keeps our customers awake at night. If you can identify that, and then find a solution for it, there will always be budget available, even in these straitened times.

Deliver what you say you’re going to deliver, don’t over promise, be truthful. Everyone makes mistakes but have the relationship that allows you to say we’ve made a mistake. If you over promise something that can never be delivered you will never have that relationship, just disappointment. Then, the trick is to over deliver on what your truthfully said you’d do. Be yourself, be honest.

Deliver what you say you’re going to deliver, don’t over promise, be truthful. Everyone makes mistakes but have the relationship that allows you to say we’ve made a mistake. If you over promise something that can never be delivered you will never have that relationship, just disappointment. Then, the trick is to over deliver on what your truthfully said you’d do. Be yourself, be honest.

Customers change; they change their minds, they change their direction, they change their wants and their desires. This was true previously but all the more so in a fast paced world. Customs want you to understand that they change and what their changes are. Then go out there and understand if you are able to adapt to stay relevant.

Customers change; they change their minds, they change their direction, they change their wants and their desires. This was true previously but all the more so in a fast paced world. Customs want you to understand that they change and what their changes are. Then go out there and understand if you are able to adapt to stay relevant.

The way that customers perceive value in a product or service has no relationship to the cost of that product or service. There are always multiple opportunities to reconfigure/ develop new products and services that create “new” value for customers. Successful entrepreneurs tend to be those that are able to create, make available, and communicate these products and services at a cost that is significantly less than the value that customers are prepared to pay. All pretty obvious but its staggering how often this simple equation is not adequately considered.

Understand their needs. Deliver and surpass on those needs. And make them feel like f*****g rock stars in the process. Simples.

Understand their needs. Deliver and surpass on those needs. And make them feel like f*****g rock stars in the process. Simples.

Pain-points, in other words, what does your business help customers to solve?

It’s not as straightforward as it sounds. A hotdog cart may address the pain point ‘hunger’, a ‘craving’ or simply a ‘habit’. But if that hotdog maker ask its customers what they need, everyone would just say ‘a hot dog’.

How you serve the customer depends on what pain point you are addressing. Sometimes, the customer himself will not know what his pain-point is. Henry Ford once said ‘if I would have asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’

Identifying pain points help in personalising a consistent service to a diverse customer base, while connecting with them and gaining their trust.

Pain-points, in other words, what does your business help customers to solve?

It’s not as straightforward as it sounds. A hotdog cart may address the pain point ‘hunger’, a ‘craving’ or simply a ‘habit’. But if that hotdog maker ask its customers what they need, everyone would just say ‘a hot dog’.

How you serve the customer depends on what pain point you are addressing. Sometimes, the customer himself will not know what his pain-point is. Henry Ford once said ‘if I would have asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’

Identifying pain points help in personalising a consistent service to a diverse customer base, while connecting with them and gaining their trust.

I would say customer experience is the most important factor a business should always consider, this can be related to the products your selling as well as keeping up with what is required by the customer in a fast moving landscape of commerce. We as business’s need to constantly innovate and offer customers exactly what they require within an affordable price, where needed allow them to spread payments over a given time period.

I would say customer experience is the most important factor a business should always consider, this can be related to the products your selling as well as keeping up with what is required by the customer in a fast moving landscape of commerce. We as business’s need to constantly innovate and offer customers exactly what they require within an affordable price, where needed allow them to spread payments over a given time period.

What customers want is not always what they need. Of course, I would not be so arrogant as to presume that I really understand what my customers need, but it is my job to find out. And the only way to really find out what a customer truly needs is to listen. And listen deeply, with a genuine interest in what they are saying and how they might best be served, even if it is nothing that you might be selling. Often what a customer really needs is not what you are offering and that is OK. The very fact you have taken the time to listen and help them get clarity will be the reason they will call you next time.

What customers want is not always what they need. Of course, I would not be so arrogant as to presume that I really understand what my customers need, but it is my job to find out. And the only way to really find out what a customer truly needs is to listen. And listen deeply, with a genuine interest in what they are saying and how they might best be served, even if it is nothing that you might be selling. Often what a customer really needs is not what you are offering and that is OK. The very fact you have taken the time to listen and help them get clarity will be the reason they will call you next time.

That every customer wants to feel like they are getting a service above and beyond the regular customer. It is our job to make sure that each one is as important as the other, and that making a customer respect and value you as an individual is just as important as the product that you are selling.
People crave positive relationships whether that be in their personal or professional lives, and it is our challenge to create those relationships in order to enable the business to thrive.

That every customer wants to feel like they are getting a service above and beyond the regular customer. It is our job to make sure that each one is as important as the other, and that making a customer respect and value you as an individual is just as important as the product that you are selling.
People crave positive relationships whether that be in their personal or professional lives, and it is our challenge to create those relationships in order to enable the business to thrive.

It is the created (or co-created) value. Every experience that is provided by the business to its customers should be directly linked to the value created for these customers. If the value can be created with the customers together, that will enhance the relationship between the business and its customers. Value creation should be the main purpose for any king of business in order to build sustainable business models.

It is the created (or co-created) value. Every experience that is provided by the business to its customers should be directly linked to the value created for these customers. If the value can be created with the customers together, that will enhance the relationship between the business and its customers. Value creation should be the main purpose for any king of business in order to build sustainable business models.

Their entire persona. Who are they? How old are they? What did they have for breakfast last Wednesday? What music do they listen to?

Having this information is absolutely crucial across all stages – business development, sales, marketing etc. Many businesses fail by running things the way THEY would want things to work, not how their customers work. You need to be on the same page as your customers – you have to know the same amount of things (if not more) about them than you do your husband/wife.

Their entire persona. Who are they? How old are they? What did they have for breakfast last Wednesday? What music do they listen to?

Having this information is absolutely crucial across all stages – business development, sales, marketing etc. Many businesses fail by running things the way THEY would want things to work, not how their customers work. You need to be on the same page as your customers – you have to know the same amount of things (if not more) about them than you do your husband/wife.

Humans are complicated.

Develop a deep empathy and understanding of those who are your “raison d’être” by seeking genuine customer feedback and demonstrating you have listened. If you deliver what they want, the word of mouth and loyalty will slash your need to solicite new business.

Humans are complicated.

Develop a deep empathy and understanding of those who are your “raison d’être” by seeking genuine customer feedback and demonstrating you have listened. If you deliver what they want, the word of mouth and loyalty will slash your need to solicite new business.

Their experience. If you don’t understand how the people you sell to or partner with experience your brand, product or service, then any decisions you make aren’t being made on the right data. By triangulating as many dimensions of this experience as possible (what people think about your product, as well as how they actually use it—these can sometimes be totally different things!) you can get a 360-degree view of your customer that shows you how you compare with competitors, where you can improve, and how you can drive results by aligning with customer needs.

Their experience. If you don’t understand how the people you sell to or partner with experience your brand, product or service, then any decisions you make aren’t being made on the right data. By triangulating as many dimensions of this experience as possible (what people think about your product, as well as how they actually use it—these can sometimes be totally different things!) you can get a 360-degree view of your customer that shows you how you compare with competitors, where you can improve, and how you can drive results by aligning with customer needs.

The customer buys into your product AND into your company. Make sure they are aligned

The customer buys into your product AND into your company. Make sure they are aligned

Get under the skin of the worries of your customer. They are interested enough to be in discussions with you about your product(s) – so what are their barriers to saying yes?

My first meeting with a multi-door retailer was a disaster. I had a two-page word document, with a lot of words, and a lot of product heaped on the table. We were out of the meeting within 5 minutes. Somehow we managed to get another meeting a year later, and this time, we had a well-prepared pitch deck. We had a slide for everything I thought might hold them back from saying yes – a slide to show that our consumers were national (and not just Chelsea residents); a page describing the consumer persona – that well-matched our buyer’s profile; a page on packaging and point of sale; a page defining our ability to supply; another that defined profit for the retailer as it was rolled out across their empire and they took on more SKUs; and so on.

The retailer took on the brand, and they now account for 8% of our annual, global turnover.

I continue to impress on my Business Development team the need to think about our customer (in this case, retailers) and what will hold them back from going for it. We have a terrific product which means that the door opens; but we need to quell any concerns at the outset to get onto their shelves.

Get under the skin of the worries of your customer. They are interested enough to be in discussions with you about your product(s) – so what are their barriers to saying yes?

My first meeting with a multi-door retailer was a disaster. I had a two-page word document, with a lot of words, and a lot of product heaped on the table. We were out of the meeting within 5 minutes. Somehow we managed to get another meeting a year later, and this time, we had a well-prepared pitch deck. We had a slide for everything I thought might hold them back from saying yes – a slide to show that our consumers were national (and not just Chelsea residents); a page describing the consumer persona – that well-matched our buyer’s profile; a page on packaging and point of sale; a page defining our ability to supply; another that defined profit for the retailer as it was rolled out across their empire and they took on more SKUs; and so on.

The retailer took on the brand, and they now account for 8% of our annual, global turnover.

I continue to impress on my Business Development team the need to think about our customer (in this case, retailers) and what will hold them back from going for it. We have a terrific product which means that the door opens; but we need to quell any concerns at the outset to get onto their shelves.

Your customers are the Kings and Queens of your business – they pay your bills and hence sometimes you have to suck up their nonsense and craziness. The upside comes when the value of our contracts increase and you can think about ditching the moaners and ‘nickel and dimers’

Your customers are the Kings and Queens of your business – they pay your bills and hence sometimes you have to suck up their nonsense and craziness. The upside comes when the value of our contracts increase and you can think about ditching the moaners and ‘nickel and dimers’

All you need to do is amaze them with your product and service, simple! ; )

The saying ”under promise, over deliver” really is the way to go. Speak to customers in an authentic voice to make sure they see you’re human and can trust you to provide them with the service they are looking for.

People love the experience of shopping from someone they feel they know a little, it’s great to know who the person we’re buying from is.

All you need to do is amaze them with your product and service, simple! ; )

The saying ”under promise, over deliver” really is the way to go. Speak to customers in an authentic voice to make sure they see you’re human and can trust you to provide them with the service they are looking for.

People love the experience of shopping from someone they feel they know a little, it’s great to know who the person we’re buying from is.

A “Prospect” is created when a need arises, and that prospect becomes “Your Customer” when you understand their motivation and are in the best place to satisfy that need. So the single most important thing is an intelligent understanding of your customer’s needs and an honest approach to meet them. In short respect your customer and provide them with whats best for them.

A “Prospect” is created when a need arises, and that prospect becomes “Your Customer” when you understand their motivation and are in the best place to satisfy that need. So the single most important thing is an intelligent understanding of your customer’s needs and an honest approach to meet them. In short respect your customer and provide them with whats best for them.

I believe strongly that the single most important thing is to understand WHY your customers buy your products or services, not just what they buy, or when. The why gives you so much more insight, which you can use in your product development, communication strategy, key messaging, and much more.

For us, knowing that a mum has chosen an uplifting Mantra Necklace because she wants to boost her daughter’s self-confidence, or knowing that a woman is hoping to reassure her friend going through a divorce, or that a young runner is psyching herself up for her first marathon – knowing these reasons gives us so much valuable insight. It has spurred us to create more designs for our ‘Inspiration and Self-belief’ category, as we see that this is one of the most important messages people want to convey. It has informed our collaboration strategy, as we seek out people coaching on positivity and mindset, to co-create necklaces with. And it has helped our event strategy, in terms of helping us decide where we should be popping up next.

Because the why is so important to our customers, we include a message card with every piece of jewellery, enabling them to explain their reasons for choosing this specific mantra, to the gift recipient. And because so many of our online customers ask us to write this message for them, when they send a gift – we are able to share in this knowledge.

Analysing the numbers and looking at demographics can tell you who is buying, how often they buy, how much they spend, and where they live. But planning how you capture the reason why will give you so much more.

I believe strongly that the single most important thing is to understand WHY your customers buy your products or services, not just what they buy, or when. The why gives you so much more insight, which you can use in your product development, communication strategy, key messaging, and much more.

For us, knowing that a mum has chosen an uplifting Mantra Necklace because she wants to boost her daughter’s self-confidence, or knowing that a woman is hoping to reassure her friend going through a divorce, or that a young runner is psyching herself up for her first marathon – knowing these reasons gives us so much valuable insight. It has spurred us to create more designs for our ‘Inspiration and Self-belief’ category, as we see that this is one of the most important messages people want to convey. It has informed our collaboration strategy, as we seek out people coaching on positivity and mindset, to co-create necklaces with. And it has helped our event strategy, in terms of helping us decide where we should be popping up next.

Because the why is so important to our customers, we include a message card with every piece of jewellery, enabling them to explain their reasons for choosing this specific mantra, to the gift recipient. And because so many of our online customers ask us to write this message for them, when they send a gift – we are able to share in this knowledge.

Analysing the numbers and looking at demographics can tell you who is buying, how often they buy, how much they spend, and where they live. But planning how you capture the reason why will give you so much more.

You have to understand that without your customers you do not have a business.

The most single important thing for a business to understand about their customers is the concept of “value for money”. What do their customers perceive as value for their money and this, by no means, is just based on price, but the psychology behind the purchase aligned with the emotional values of their customers.

You have to understand that without your customers you do not have a business.

The most single important thing for a business to understand about their customers is the concept of “value for money”. What do their customers perceive as value for their money and this, by no means, is just based on price, but the psychology behind the purchase aligned with the emotional values of their customers.

How to best help them!
That’s not necessarily by selling things. It may be just good, timely, impartial advice. They’ll remember later. The context of the help will change through time, so it is critical to listen, understand, empathise and react. And at times act pro-actively, before being asked, anticipating individual needs.
Customers often have a mixed bag of requirements and preferences. So, ensure your IT systems and information processes support providing personalised help. This must be flexible, cost-efficient and convenient for customers and staff alike.
Both have a choice! Help all make decisions based on loyalty you’ve earnt.

How to best help them!
That’s not necessarily by selling things. It may be just good, timely, impartial advice. They’ll remember later. The context of the help will change through time, so it is critical to listen, understand, empathise and react. And at times act pro-actively, before being asked, anticipating individual needs.
Customers often have a mixed bag of requirements and preferences. So, ensure your IT systems and information processes support providing personalised help. This must be flexible, cost-efficient and convenient for customers and staff alike.
Both have a choice! Help all make decisions based on loyalty you’ve earnt.

Fully leverage your superpower. Figure out what it is – and don’t be afraid to ask others for help if you need it.

Once you know what your superpower is, use it more and use it often. Plan smart action to get even better at using it. This applies to your individual business strengths and to the niche or USPs of your business products or services.

Trying to be everything to everyone is admirable and a testament to your ambition, however, it is not the easiest path to fulfilling your potential in life or business.

Discover the #1 superpower of yourself, your team, and your business. Then amplify them and use them as those gifts as they were intended.

Fully leverage your superpower. Figure out what it is – and don’t be afraid to ask others for help if you need it.

Once you know what your superpower is, use it more and use it often. Plan smart action to get even better at using it. This applies to your individual business strengths and to the niche or USPs of your business products or services.

Trying to be everything to everyone is admirable and a testament to your ambition, however, it is not the easiest path to fulfilling your potential in life or business.

Discover the #1 superpower of yourself, your team, and your business. Then amplify them and use them as those gifts as they were intended.

The single most important thing we look to understand about our customers is really (really) what they are trying to achieve. Trying to sell them on your vision is fun and great for meetings, but to really be a part of their future you have to understand where you can fit into it.

The single most important thing we look to understand about our customers is really (really) what they are trying to achieve. Trying to sell them on your vision is fun and great for meetings, but to really be a part of their future you have to understand where you can fit into it.

They’re in charge, but you’re the expert. What your customers want should completely shape the service you provide, but if you’re not providing a service over and above what they are asking you for then you aren’t truly adding value. They don’t know what they don’t know.

They’re in charge, but you’re the expert. What your customers want should completely shape the service you provide, but if you’re not providing a service over and above what they are asking you for then you aren’t truly adding value. They don’t know what they don’t know.

Your customers could be with you for life if you take the time to properly listen to them and respect their point of view.

Make sure to always be on hand to offer advice and insight, whether or not there is an immediate invoice for you.

Remember, customers don’t want to move around – they actually want to stay with you – so give them reasons to want to be loyal!

Your customers could be with you for life if you take the time to properly listen to them and respect their point of view.

Make sure to always be on hand to offer advice and insight, whether or not there is an immediate invoice for you.

Remember, customers don’t want to move around – they actually want to stay with you – so give them reasons to want to be loyal!

We are all customers and we are all different. All different ages, backgrounds and interests. Yet we all have similar patterns, share commonalities and certain behaviours.

What we do know is that the landscape for consumer behaviour changes rapidly, and it is hugely important to keep pace with these continual shifts. Having been in design for the past 20 years and setting up a new marketplace tech business, knowing your audiences is still the foundation to success.

Having the ability to be agile, flexible, and simple in your approach will give you the edge. With so many channels to market, creating the right message for the right audience at the right time – without over complicating – can truly be a winning formula.

We are all customers and we are all different. All different ages, backgrounds and interests. Yet we all have similar patterns, share commonalities and certain behaviours.

What we do know is that the landscape for consumer behaviour changes rapidly, and it is hugely important to keep pace with these continual shifts. Having been in design for the past 20 years and setting up a new marketplace tech business, knowing your audiences is still the foundation to success.

Having the ability to be agile, flexible, and simple in your approach will give you the edge. With so many channels to market, creating the right message for the right audience at the right time – without over complicating – can truly be a winning formula.

As a global recruitment specialist, the total ethos of our business is gaining 100% customer satisfaction, 100% of the time.

For us to do that, it is so important we understand who our customer’s customers are, the challenges they face and what their expectations are.

To be a true partner, every business should aim to have the trust of their client, aiming to achieve the same targets and objectives, by working in an honest and collaborative fashion.

As a global recruitment specialist, the total ethos of our business is gaining 100% customer satisfaction, 100% of the time.

For us to do that, it is so important we understand who our customer’s customers are, the challenges they face and what their expectations are.

To be a true partner, every business should aim to have the trust of their client, aiming to achieve the same targets and objectives, by working in an honest and collaborative fashion.

Understand what your customers’ corporate strategy (read: mission) is – what are they trying to achieve and why?

Once you understand this, you can not only support them in their mission but you can also attribute a direct value to your contribution.

If you can align your clients strategy with your own, you can truly walk the same path to success!

Understand what your customers’ corporate strategy (read: mission) is – what are they trying to achieve and why?

Once you understand this, you can not only support them in their mission but you can also attribute a direct value to your contribution.

If you can align your clients strategy with your own, you can truly walk the same path to success!

Never take your customers for granted. Go the extra yard.

Your customers will probably not even notice, so don’t expect a thank you!

That’ll come next time when they recall the service that set you apart from the rest, and they’ll order with you again. In today’s instant world, take the long view.

Never take your customers for granted. Go the extra yard.

Your customers will probably not even notice, so don’t expect a thank you!

That’ll come next time when they recall the service that set you apart from the rest, and they’ll order with you again. In today’s instant world, take the long view.

In business, it’s absolutely crucial to know your customers, and treat them with dignity and respect.

Whether it be one of our engineers visiting a resident in their home, or a technician servicing a 12 stop passenger lift in a city centre hotel. The focus for us is always on the customer, and providing them with whatever level of detail is required.

One of our business mantras is ‘the fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers’, and this is something we are proud to live by.

In business, it’s absolutely crucial to know your customers, and treat them with dignity and respect.

Whether it be one of our engineers visiting a resident in their home, or a technician servicing a 12 stop passenger lift in a city centre hotel. The focus for us is always on the customer, and providing them with whatever level of detail is required.

One of our business mantras is ‘the fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers’, and this is something we are proud to live by.