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October 06, 2005
Nagging customers or - how to create change?
Now this is a toughy for me. I am preaching the ultimate customer satisfaction or customer engagement. I write, that one needs to go beyond what is required to meet the customer. To excite the customer.
I want to live this, really, really live this. Hack, this is my belief.
On the other side, I believe that there needs to be a value alignment between customer and employee (so to speak). That means, there must be an excitement for both to work with each other to get to a win/win solution and to move on, together.
If this doesn't work, than fire the customer - that is what David Maister says and I am absolutely for it. Why should I waste my energy, MY POSITIVE ENERGY, on someone who doesn't deserve it? How can I create value, if my energy is drained by customers that are. But, how can you fire a customer, when you are just an employee? When you head one of the largest account of the company?
Okay - let me explain. I am heading this account and the client team is pretty demanding. Pretty is way too gently expressed. VERY demanding. Nothing against this, and there were a lot of mess-ups earlier, and the team and I are struggling to clean up. But anything that we send to the client, anything that we do is, well, criticised, dismantled, and issues are found with it. This is not something that is needed that much, going forward, but something, that is heritage from the beginning of the year. We are currently starting a new adventure with the client, and need to be focussed on the current task. Okay, there is a relation between the old one and the new task/ project - still.
It is not that I don't see the points of the client. I understand. But, how can I change client to think more positive about the different initiatives and the work that we are doing? How to get the negativity out from their feeling, their voice, their attitudes, out from their system? To make them see, that we are moving fast, in a great team, and that it is really demotivating to work with someone who isn't positive?
I am only 3 or 4 weeks on this huge project, but wow, I tell you, this client is an energy sucker, really!
More to come....
Posted by Andreas at October 6, 2005 12:02 PM
Comments
This is what i think. If the customer is not profitable or valuable. Drop it. Find more better profitable customers. But if the customers are your company big time client and u need to maintain or enhance the relationship, then find out what's making the client disgruntle. Do some spying on the customers liking or disliking including where they would like to meet, what time and when they wouldn't like to deal business.
THE main thing is when they complaint, ask them politely, why they critised or what makes them say so ? meaning like ask them in relation to what they think your idea is bad , or the price is high, ask them why they think so.
Posted by: viv at October 8, 2005 01:09 PM
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