Why You Need to Have a Customer-Oriented Attitude
There isn’t a cookie-cutter formula for success in a highly competitive marketplace. That said, a lot of it boils down to having a customer-oriented attitude. In other words, put the customer at the forefront of any business decision you make.
Adopting this mindset gives an instant shift in focus when considering how you provide services and develop products.
But it’s easy to say that your organization puts customers first. However, embedding this concept deeply into your company culture is a whole other animal, one that is essential. That way, everyone in your organization—from top to bottom—understands and strives to meet customer needs and expectations.
You don’t need a statistic to tell you that’s true. It’s pretty logical, but we’ll have plenty of proof to help you fully understand why this is a critical aspect of customer acquisition and retention.
What Does It Mean to Have a Customer-Oriented Attitude?
A customer-oriented attitude isn’t just a tagline that you put on ads. It’s a reflection of your company’s beliefs and actions, which are focused on the customer. It means that you’re truly committed to making customers your top priority. And it should serve as the foundation of your organization.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte & Touch, a business that adopts a customer-centric attitude is 60% more profitable than companies that do not. In the world of business, any advantage is something that organizations need to exploit. And 60% is a MASSIVE gain.
To take advantage of that opportunity, you need to put a strategy in place that sets up your customers as the core of everything you do.
1) Build a Customer-Oriented Team
What’s the secret ingredient to a customer-oriented attitude? It’s having empathy toward your customers, and it starts with hiring the right people.
Sure, we all need to hire for skills, but we should also invest in training to ensure our employees understand that putting customers first is part of the company’s DNA. The more knowledge and experience they have in customer care, the easier it is to implement a customer-centric approach.
2) Know What Your Customers Need
It’s not uncommon for businesses to define goals and strive to achieve those goals. That is the traditional approach. But more often than not, these goals put the needs of the business first.
A customer-oriented attitude requires that you shift that mindset and think about solving your customers’ problems first. Merely knowing what your customers need and want can help in overcoming customer experience challenges.
When your customer-centric way of doing business aligns with customer needs, their buying experience becomes seamless and effortless. They end up satisfied with their decision to buy from you.
Repeat this often: This business wouldn’t exist without the customers.
This will change your organization’s entire approach toward marketing and dealing with customers.
3) Encourage Customer Feedback
Conducting regular surveys to obtain customer feedback is one of the best ways to determine what your customers want. Instead of guessing, you can get the information straight from the source.
While we strive to meet customer needs, we must also understand that their needs are constantly changing. Hence, your way of doing business needs to be flexible and shift to meet those demands.
And when you do obtain feedback from customers, show your commitment to honor that feedback and implement changes where necessary.
Why Do Businesses Need to Exhibit a Customer-Oriented Attitude in Everything They Do?
As customers are one of the four Cs of marketing, we know it’s imperative to put a significant focus on them. But why does a customer-oriented attitude need to be embedded in everything you do?
It Shifts the Focus to a More Valuable One
The traditional approach to marketing employed by most businesses is a sales-oriented one. This approach emphasizes making a sale, which means you value the company’s needs over the customer’s needs.
With that approach, the customer is often alienated.
With a customer-oriented attitude, however, the situation is flipped. Your organization is focused on providing helpful solutions that improve the lives of and offer value to customers.
It Is Cost-Effective
Not all organizations have a large budget to spend on traditional advertising. But with a customer-centric marketing approach, you don’t need to match big brands’ ad spend to boost profits.
It’s more cost-effective to keep your existing customers happy than it is to acquire new ones.
Moreover, the happier your customers are, the more likely they are to tell their friends about your products or services. They become ambassadors for your brand, which is not only free advertising but also the best form of advertising there is.
It Allows You to Develop Better Products & Services
Putting your customers above your company is the ticket to developing products and services they’ll want to buy. It’s as simple as that.
When you make your customers the primary focus, you can then outline…
- What problem they have
- How your offering can solve that problem
- What their lives will look like after purchasing
It’s all about flipping the script and looking at how to make your customers’ lives better. In doing that, you’ll find the products and services you create are received much better by those you’re targeting. Even your product packaging can improve when you put your customers first!
What Benefits Come Out of Being Customer-Oriented?
Adopting a customer-oriented attitude offers a ton of benefits to the quality of your service and your bottom line.
Let’s look at how putting the focus on your customers in every aspect of your organization can benefit your organization…
Higher Customer Retention
Acquiring new customers is more expensive for your marketing budget than retaining existing ones. According to data compiled by invesp, your chances of selling to an existing customer are around 60-70%, whereas your chances of selling to a brand-new one are anywhere from 5-20%.
Putting a priority on having a customer-oriented attitude in your organization can pay off—literally! A positive experience for a customer often means more sales because you can retain those customers. And if you can retain them, you will make more sales.
You want to keep customers who are already buying from you happy for as long as possible.
Positive Customer Experience
Apart from making sales and turning customers into loyal buyers, there is a more valuable advantage to a customer-oriented attitude, and that is creating the ideal customer experience along every step of their journey.
A customer’s loyalty is directly proportional to their experience with you and the level of appreciation they get from you. It’s only logical to offer your customers the most positive experience possible. And it starts by understanding their needs and committing to provide that.
Strive to become known as the organization that puts customers first so that your customers remember their experience the next time they are faced with a buying decision.
Greater Opportunities for Growth
Another benefit of having a customer-oriented attitude and approach in your business is the additional opportunities for growth. When you put your customers first, you understand them and can anticipate their needs down the road. You make continuous improvements that will serve them better, increase their satisfaction, and encourage them to share their experience with others.
Moreover, focusing on your customers makes you more flexible and agile, which will only help your business thrive.
Final Thoughts
This is the perfect opportunity to reflect on your existing customer focus competencies. Implementing a customer-oriented attitude is vital in retaining customers and growing as a business.
The best way to succeed in this approach is to cultivate this attitude in every team member. Doing so can take your business to greater heights, and it can become a key differentiator between you and your competitors.
