If you are an entrepreneur, you must have heard the phrase: customer is king. Or the other one: He who pays the piper dictates the tune.
These phrases are drummed into all of us every day.
But, the question is: Is it true that the customer is King?
Before I lay down my take on this age long, well-worn argument I must quickly state I would be very much interested in having comments and observations from you.
While it might have been true in the past, and in some certain cases in the present day, that the customer on account of the fact that they hold the purchasing power have a bigger influence in controlling the business relationship, current dynamic of the market place and the evolutionary development of the entrepreneur/seller not only as a sales man or service provider, but as a solution provider negates this slanted believe.
Many business relationships, especially those engaged in by smart entrepreneurs and business people, who understand the importance of solid customer acquisition, nurturing and retention has since moved on from the one-off / transactional models (which fuels the Customer is King narrative) into relational/advocacy models which are more pivotal to the long-term survival of businesses.
The market place have changed, so also has the customers.
In the past, customers perhaps never cared for a personal relationship with their service providers or brands/products. Their desire for emotive affinity with the brands were limited. They only wanted what they want, and at a price they perceive to be fair.
These days however, a service provider/seller can control the narrative of how today’s customer perceive their service/brand/product and the amount of value they place on it, by carefully developing and communicating value propositions that touch on all the several emotive points of interest of the customer.
A customer, in the hands of a professional service provider, who understands the importance and effective use of smart customer relationship techniques and who always comes up trumps with providing solutions that exceeds expectations, will never see such a relationship as a CUSTOMER IS KING one. Rather, in that scenario the customer is often times than not a jelly in the hands of such service provider. S/he will kowtow to most professional advice or opinion given (irrespective of their own gut feelings), simply because the service provider has built trust and loyalty in its offerings.
Mind you however, ceding this control to the service provider is not easy.
You have to put in the work. Always be bold and brave to put your solutions forward – and insist on them all the time. There is no substitute to building a reputation for competence, integrity and quality service/brands etc.
If a client tests your resolve, be bold to walk away from the job/project/sales opportunity if it will jeopardize the integrity of your firm/brand or the quality of the body of work your outfit have previously churned out.
Believe me, often times such customers that wanted you to compromise on quality or were inflexible in entertaining your professional opinion and competence, will come back to you after having their fingers burnt by trying to cut corners or do things with their ‘gut feelings’.
Again, remember that saying?
Customer is king.
But, you are the master of your own craft.
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By: Shanu Afolami, Lead Strategist at 3keys Communications Concept
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