The purpose of business—creating a customer—and your customers—at a human level—aren't changing.
But for many businesses, it's time to make a change toward having a deep understanding of their true purpose and their customers.
Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleTaking a sociological perspective, Barbara Misztal explains in her book Trust in Modern Societies that trust has three social implications: 1) it makes social life more predictable; 2) it creates a sense of community; and, 3) it allows people to work together. Without trust, social interactions are unpredictable, community building is thwarted, and people are unable to collaborate effectively. Businesses aggressively strive to establish trust with their customers but frequently neglect the need to cultivate trust in their workplaces. In their myopia, they create hostile work environments with a ‘me versus you’ mentality, where employees feel the constant need to watch their backs. In this space, loyalty, creativity, and innovation are sure to die.
The reason our stories, messaging and marketing fall flat is that the people we want to serve are not motivated by our need to be seen, to be heard or to close a sale. People—your audience, customers and clients—are motivated by their need to be seen, heard and understood. Bernadette Jiwa, The Right StoryDespite the amount of money companies spend on customer insights, most companies don’t value true insights. Insights should tell you something new; they should change the way you think. Yet, most companies reward predictable results instead of game changers.[1. Gary Klein, Seeing What Others Don’t, 2007.] On average, companies value “insights” that confirm what they’re already doing. At best, they want “insights” that only slightly modify what they’re already doing. But, are these insights really insightful?
Your greatest asset is your relationship with your customers. If you erode it, you’ll play a Sisyphean game of trying to gain sales from new buyers faster than your customers leave you.