INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
Most then add customer service at the rollout, but very few really understand what it means to be truly customer centric, and even fewer really achieve it. Customer centricity is far more than providing excellent customer service, although that’s a step in the right direction. MORE
As a startup advisor, I see too many entrepreneurs get distracted by technology or their favorite cause, and then wonder why they can’t find an investor, attract customers, or build a long-term business. Customers now put big value on experience, social impact, empowerment, and feedback. MORE
Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Customers don’t want prescriptions - they seek possibilities. MORE
Most business owners are aware that no matter what industry you’re in it’s your clients/customers that ultimately determine your success. More than giving great products and services, brands must do more to let their customers know they really appreciate their business. MORE
In today’s totally interconnected world with its abundance of information, choices, and marketing, how your customers buy has drastically changed. Think about how much Starbucks customers have changed what you need to consider to sell a cup of coffee. MORE
Is your marketing focus product-centric or customer-centric ? With a wealth of products now available, customers look for the most memorable experience , not just the best product. Amazon is very customer-centric, but it can make all the difference in retail as well as online. MORE
Customer service has traditionally been a support function to respond to customer initiated requests, meaning someone waits for the phone to ring or for a website support request form. Staff all customer interactions with experienced people. MORE
Most importantly, it’s more about being a proactive leader who connects to customers and the team deeply, rather than a bright light that struggles to be seen amidst the glare of a million other bright lights. Achim Nowak communication pace customers entrepreneur startup MORE
It’s a well-known fact of business that customers must be the focus of a successful business model; hence the now-cliched idiom “the customer is always right”. But in this customer-focused model, some businesses make the mistake of neglecting to focus on their employees. MORE
For decades, efforts to satisfy customers have been built around demographics – capitalizing on race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other attributes. Customer personalities define customer experience, and sets what they love, and what they hate. MORE
Image via Flickr by jardenberg Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. To get to the core of what’s relevant to customers, you need to know them well. MORE
Much has been written recently about the requirement to focus today on the total customer experience, as a competitive edge or even for survival. You want that customer to be delighted by the overall experience, rather than remember the many steps and the pain. MORE
The power of customer relationships shouldn't be underestimated, especially if you value customer loyalty, positive reviews and word-of-mouth advertising. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer satisfaction customer success MORE
If you’re thinking about how you’re going to increase your leads and customer base, you must understand the value of your customers to your business. After all, the more you cultivate a solid customer base, the more sales you can probably get. MORE
Many of us tend to believe that our businesses or brands exist to meet the needs of customers that we serve. Customers are people who use or need your products/services. The customer centricity debate wants you to put them at the heart of your work. Who is your real customer? MORE
In addition to obvious economic challenges, the emerging generation of customers is determined to radically change the rules for customer engagement. I summarize here my interpretation of his key points: Take heed of serious next generation customer expectations. MORE
With the advent of the Internet, social media, and instant communication via texting, customer expectations for service, as part of their entire customer experience, have changed. Company finds customers based on interests. Technology must improve the customer experience. MORE
Improve the pre-, during, and the post-sale journey to guarantee a positive customer experience. Grow Marketing & Sales customer experience customer journey sales selling tipsYou have one opportunity to make a first impression. MORE
Have you ever noticed that some of your business owner friends get all the bad customers, and yours all seem fairly reasonable? I’m always amazed that, in my role as a business advisor, bad customers somehow seem to gang up on certain businesses. MORE
We talk a lot about Customer Development, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action to understand its power. But the big payoff came when their discussions with medical device customers revealed an entirely new way to think about pricing —potentially tripling their revenue. MORE
Prioritizing something “fuzzy” like customer love is often viewed as a nice-to-have because ROI is too vague. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer love customer success customer success software MORE
Traditional marketing says you have to “push” your message out to customers, over and over again, to get you remembered. A more effective approach in today’s Internet and interactive culture is to use “pull” technology to bring customers and clients to your story. MORE
In my role as a business advisor, I often see well-meaning entrepreneurs try to be everything to everyone, which results in many things done poorly, and few totally delighted customers. Aggregators delight customers by offering a vast array of products or services under the same experience. MORE
Having satisfied customers is no longer enough to keep you ahead of competitors. The bar has been raised to having “delighted” customers. Customer delight is defined as surprising the customer by exceeding his or her expectations, thus creating a positive emotional reaction. MORE
It’s hard to keep tab of sales when we’re talking to customers. Customer Development Sales b2b sales B2B startups founders with limited sales experience have trouble with qualifying leads. MORE
Most businesses spend big money testing their brand logo, catchy marketing phrases, and demographics, but spend little time training and validating that their employees can and do deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. Keep your team happy to create engaged customers. MORE
When looking for product/market fit, we start with the customer. Everything starts and ends with the customer. Customer Development Lean Startups Product/Market Fit customer segmentation product/market fit That''s the "market" part of product/market fit. MORE
Filed under: Customer Development. Customer DevelopmentThanks to: Alexis Finch, Sketchnotes / UX Research Consultant @agentfin. MORE
Customer feedback provides you with the data you need to win back customers, increase lifetime value and improve your product or service. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer feedback marketing negative reviews online reputation online reviews MORE
Too many business owners still think of “ customer support ” as an after-sale process to rectify customer problems with completed transactions. One bad customer experience will kill not only one customer, but many future ones, who hear the message via social media and friends. MORE
Entrepreneurs and business executives seem to be even more focused on their technology than the rest of us, and less inclined to listen to the voice of the customer, even if they remember to ask. I doubt if any of these are really listening to their customers. MORE
Many notable recent successes, including Airbnb and Uber, have done it by finding disruptive customers, with essentially no new technology. They seek customers willing to decouple from accepted buying models, or are actively looking for a better total experience. MORE
Learning how questions actually work can give you fresh insight into the customer discovery process. The post How Asking Works: A Crash Course in Customer Discovery Questions appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com. Interviewing strangers is a science as much as an art. MORE
Many entrepreneurs think that adapting to the new technologies, like smart phones and Internet commerce, are the key to attracting new customers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business. MORE
To stay competitive, you need the latest tools and technologies to create a responsive and relevant customer experience. Customer Service Grow customer experience technology MORE
Is the customer discovery process one of your pain points? The post How Do I Know When I’m Done with Customer Discovery? Customer Development Lean Startup User Experience & Research Customer Segmentation & Personas Generative Market Research Hypothesis Driven Development lean startupFind out how many interviews you should do, how often, and how to process the information quickly so you can move on to your build in no time. MORE
Small business owners know establishing personal connections with customers is critical for growth. One of the best ways for a small business to differentiate itself from the competition is to build a strong customer-first culture. Cultivating customer-centricity. MORE
If you own a small business, conducting a customer satisfaction survey is an important part of running the business. It measures the degree of your customer’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your products and services. Have an Objective for your Customer Satisfaction Survey. MORE
For decades, efforts to satisfy customers have been built around demographics – capitalizing on race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other attributes. Customer personalities define customer experience, and sets what they love, and what they hate. MORE
After working in business at all levels, and consulting to entrepreneurs for years, I’m still surprised to see so many situations where things that should be easy are painful to customers, and lead to customers hating your business. MORE
The market is changing so fast these days, and if you are not planning a solution today for tomorrow’s customers, you may be setting yourself up for failure and don’t even realize it. In addition, most advanced CRM systems will help you analyze your specific customers for directional behavior. MORE
I’m more convinced that technology merely enables disruption, and changing customer interests and needs really causes it. Other companies keep the focus on their customers, and seem to thrive on disruption, much less survive. Customers don’t wait today. MORE
Today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making a decision is a challenge. No matter how certain you are that your solution perfectly matches customer needs, you will be wrong. Emotions drive customer decision-making. MORE
Customer Related Topics 
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 5, 2019
Too many business owners still think of “ customer support ” as an after-sale process to rectify customer problems with completed transactions. One bad customer experience will kill not only one customer, but many future ones, who hear the message via social media and friends.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 17, 2018
For decades, efforts to satisfy customers have been built around demographics – capitalizing on race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other attributes. Customer personalities define customer experience, and sets what they love, and what they hate.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 4, 2019
Is your marketing focus product-centric or customer-centric ? With a wealth of products now available, customers look for the most memorable experience , not just the best product. Amazon is very customer-centric, but it can make all the difference in retail as well as online.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 16, 2019
Most businesses spend big money testing their brand logo, catchy marketing phrases, and demographics, but spend little time training and validating that their employees can and do deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. Keep your team happy to create engaged customers.
deal architect
DECEMBER 7, 2014
Most authors hate to use a word repeatedly in a sentence, or a page. Few editors allow it. But till Sadagopan pointed it out in his Amazon review of the book, SAP Nation, I did not realize the editors and. Industry Commentary
Startup Professionals Musings
JUNE 12, 2019
Much has been written recently about the requirement to focus today on the total customer experience, as a competitive edge or even for survival. You want that customer to be delighted by the overall experience, rather than remember the many steps and the pain.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 16, 2019
Today’s customers are overloaded and overwhelmed by too much information, so making a decision is a challenge. No matter how certain you are that your solution perfectly matches customer needs, you will be wrong. Emotions drive customer decision-making.
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 27, 2017
Customer service has traditionally been a support function to respond to customer initiated requests, meaning someone waits for the phone to ring or for a website support request form. Staff all customer interactions with experienced people.
Startup Professionals Musings
MARCH 8, 2019
Many notable recent successes, including Airbnb and Uber, have done it by finding disruptive customers, with essentially no new technology. They seek customers willing to decouple from accepted buying models, or are actively looking for a better total experience.
Grasshopper Herder
APRIL 29, 2014
When looking for product/market fit, we start with the customer. Everything starts and ends with the customer. Customer Development Lean Startups Product/Market Fit customer segmentation product/market fit That''s the "market" part of product/market fit.
YFS Magazine
JUNE 28, 2017
Prioritizing something “fuzzy” like customer love is often viewed as a nice-to-have because ROI is too vague. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer love customer success customer success software
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 15, 2017
Have you ever noticed that some of your business owner friends get all the bad customers, and yours all seem fairly reasonable? I’m always amazed that, in my role as a business advisor, bad customers somehow seem to gang up on certain businesses.
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 2, 2013
We talk a lot about Customer Development, but there’s nothing like seeing it in action to understand its power. But the big payoff came when their discussions with medical device customers revealed an entirely new way to think about pricing —potentially tripling their revenue.
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 9, 2018
In today’s totally interconnected world with its abundance of information, choices, and marketing, how your customers buy has drastically changed. Think about how much Starbucks customers have changed what you need to consider to sell a cup of coffee.
Grasshopper Herder
MAY 21, 2019
Learning how questions actually work can give you fresh insight into the customer discovery process. The post How Asking Works: A Crash Course in Customer Discovery Questions appeared first on GrasshopperHerder.com. Interviewing strangers is a science as much as an art.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 28, 2018
Traditional marketing says you have to “push” your message out to customers, over and over again, to get you remembered. A more effective approach in today’s Internet and interactive culture is to use “pull” technology to bring customers and clients to your story.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 31, 2019
After working in business at all levels, and consulting to entrepreneurs for years, I’m still surprised to see so many situations where things that should be easy are painful to customers, and lead to customers hating your business.
Startup Professionals Musings
DECEMBER 2, 2016
In my role as a business advisor, I often see well-meaning entrepreneurs try to be everything to everyone, which results in many things done poorly, and few totally delighted customers. Aggregators delight customers by offering a vast array of products or services under the same experience.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 25, 2019
I’m more convinced that technology merely enables disruption, and changing customer interests and needs really causes it. Other companies keep the focus on their customers, and seem to thrive on disruption, much less survive. Customers don’t wait today.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Most then add customer service at the rollout, but very few really understand what it means to be truly customer centric, and even fewer really achieve it. Customer centricity is far more than providing excellent customer service, although that’s a step in the right direction.
Startup Professionals Musings
OCTOBER 22, 2016
For decades, efforts to satisfy customers have been built around demographics – capitalizing on race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other attributes. Customer personalities define customer experience, and sets what they love, and what they hate.
YFS Magazine
SEPTEMBER 20, 2017
The power of customer relationships shouldn't be underestimated, especially if you value customer loyalty, positive reviews and word-of-mouth advertising. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer satisfaction customer success
Startup Professionals Musings
JANUARY 24, 2018
In addition to obvious economic challenges, the emerging generation of customers is determined to radically change the rules for customer engagement. I summarize here my interpretation of his key points: Take heed of serious next generation customer expectations.
YoungUpstarts
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
Small business owners know establishing personal connections with customers is critical for growth. One of the best ways for a small business to differentiate itself from the competition is to build a strong customer-first culture. Cultivating customer-centricity.
Startup Professionals Musings
FEBRUARY 16, 2018
The market is changing so fast these days, and if you are not planning a solution today for tomorrow’s customers, you may be setting yourself up for failure and don’t even realize it. In addition, most advanced CRM systems will help you analyze your specific customers for directional behavior.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 30, 2018
Having satisfied customers is no longer enough to keep you ahead of competitors. The bar has been raised to having “delighted” customers. Customer delight is defined as surprising the customer by exceeding his or her expectations, thus creating a positive emotional reaction.
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 1, 2019
Many entrepreneurs think that adapting to the new technologies, like smart phones and Internet commerce, are the key to attracting new customers. High-technology product startups, without customers, don’t make a business.
Startup Professionals Musings
MAY 19, 2019
Image via Flickr by jardenberg Your marketing launch is the most important element of startup success these days, to get customer attention in this world of information overload. To get to the core of what’s relevant to customers, you need to know them well.
Startup Professionals Musings
AUGUST 4, 2017
Not so long ago, every business assumed that the keys to success were the highest quality product, the best value for the buck, and the best customer service. Now all we hear about is providing the best “customer experience.” Customers don’t want prescriptions - they seek possibilities.
YoungUpstarts
DECEMBER 3, 2019
If you’re thinking about how you’re going to increase your leads and customer base, you must understand the value of your customers to your business. After all, the more you cultivate a solid customer base, the more sales you can probably get.
YoungUpstarts
OCTOBER 3, 2017
If you own a small business, conducting a customer satisfaction survey is an important part of running the business. It measures the degree of your customer’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with your products and services. Have an Objective for your Customer Satisfaction Survey.
Grasshopper Herder
MARCH 13, 2019
Is the customer discovery process one of your pain points? The post How Do I Know When I’m Done with Customer Discovery? Customer Development Lean Startup User Experience & Research Customer Segmentation & Personas Generative Market Research Hypothesis Driven Development lean startupFind out how many interviews you should do, how often, and how to process the information quickly so you can move on to your build in no time.
Startup Professionals Musings
NOVEMBER 7, 2015
Most importantly, it’s more about being a proactive leader who connects to customers and the team deeply, rather than a bright light that struggles to be seen amidst the glare of a million other bright lights. Achim Nowak communication pace customers entrepreneur startup
YoungUpstarts
JANUARY 30, 2019
Most business owners are aware that no matter what industry you’re in it’s your clients/customers that ultimately determine your success. More than giving great products and services, brands must do more to let their customers know they really appreciate their business.
YFS Magazine
NOVEMBER 20, 2019
To stay competitive, you need the latest tools and technologies to create a responsive and relevant customer experience. Customer Service Grow customer experience technology
Startup Professionals Musings
SEPTEMBER 12, 2016
As a startup advisor, I see too many entrepreneurs get distracted by technology or their favorite cause, and then wonder why they can’t find an investor, attract customers, or build a long-term business. Customers now put big value on experience, social impact, empowerment, and feedback.
Brandanew
DECEMBER 4, 2017
Many of us tend to believe that our businesses or brands exist to meet the needs of customers that we serve. Customers are people who use or need your products/services. The customer centricity debate wants you to put them at the heart of your work. Who is your real customer?
Steve Blank
DECEMBER 12, 2012
Filed under: Customer Development. Customer DevelopmentThanks to: Alexis Finch, Sketchnotes / UX Research Consultant @agentfin.
Grasshopper Herder
OCTOBER 7, 2014
It’s hard to keep tab of sales when we’re talking to customers. Customer Development Sales b2b sales B2B startups founders with limited sales experience have trouble with qualifying leads.
YFS Magazine
AUGUST 20, 2019
Improve the pre-, during, and the post-sale journey to guarantee a positive customer experience. Grow Marketing & Sales customer experience customer journey sales selling tipsYou have one opportunity to make a first impression.
YFS Magazine
APRIL 21, 2017
Customer feedback provides you with the data you need to win back customers, increase lifetime value and improve your product or service. Customer Service Grow customer experience customer feedback marketing negative reviews online reputation online reviews
Startup Professionals Musings
JULY 12, 2014
Entrepreneurs and business executives seem to be even more focused on their technology than the rest of us, and less inclined to listen to the voice of the customer, even if they remember to ask. I doubt if any of these are really listening to their customers.
YoungUpstarts
OCTOBER 23, 2019
It’s a well-known fact of business that customers must be the focus of a successful business model; hence the now-cliched idiom “the customer is always right”. But in this customer-focused model, some businesses make the mistake of neglecting to focus on their employees.
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