What is a customer relationship?

Your best competitive advantage is a strong customer relationship.. But, have you ever asked yourself the question, "What is a customer relationship?"

Here's my definition of a customer relationship:

A relationship is...

... an ongoing conversation with a customer...

... in which the customer never thinks of you without thinking of both of you.

Let's dig into the second part of this definition: "The customer never thinks about you without thinking of both of you."

Imagine two customers, Karen and Michelle. Both like doing business with you and your company. But here's the difference: Karen thinks of you at a distance, as "Them." And Michelle thinks of you as closely interrelated, as "We."

Karen thinks about what you do for her. Michelle focuses on what you do together.

This is the magical secret of strong customer relationships: When a customer doesn't only focus on who you are, but on how she is connected to you. When she thinks "We."

Your customer spends all of her waking hours immersed in the story of her life. She spends very little time, attention and energy thinking about products or services like yours.

When your customer thinks "We" when thinking about you, you have become attached to what she cares about most: herself. You have been attached to what she thinks about most: herself. She never thinks of you without thinking of both of you.

Here are a few things to think about and try:

Take Notice

Think about the companies with whom you do business, as a customer. How many do you see as "We," and how many as "Them?" Do you give more business to the companies that you see as "We?"

How do you compare?

How many of your customers think "We" when they think of you? Are your "We" customers more profitable and more loyal?

Try this

During the next week you will be involved in many buying or selling situations. Sometimes you will be the customer, sometimes you will be interacting with one of your customers. In each setting, pay attention to the connection between you and the other person -- is it best described as "Them," or "We?"

In future issues, we'll discuss how to encourage your customer to see both of you, together, as "We." Stay tuned... and in the meantime, be sure to download my free ebook, Encounters: The Building Blocks of Customer Relationships. I believe that you can actively do things to build your relationships with customers. Relationships don't just happen, you make them happen. And, if you do, you will enjoy a much more successful business.
 

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