Saying that you are customer-centric does not mean that you act in a customer-centric way

Saying that you are customer-centric does not necessarily mean that you think and act in a customer-centric way as a salesperson.

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As suppliers and sales managers you want to make our customers happy. There is no doubt about that!

?However, in my experience as a professional buyer, I noticed that many sales managers claim to be “hyper” focused on my needs as the customer, while they are clearly not.

This can be “hyper” frustrating to your customers.

If you show any of the below behaviors, your customer most likely perceives you just as an ordinary supplier and not as their customer-centric fan as you think they might.

This means your customers will move on to your competition as soon as they see an opportunity.

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Non customer-centric behavior number 1:

You try to meet your customer as often as you can and ask them loads of questions, providing them space to express themselves and articulate their needs.

Why this is not customer-centric:

While your effort to spend time with your customer is appreciated, they look for suppliers who are knowledgeable about their needs and can provide solutions to their main challenges. Merely showing your face for a chat is not good enough.

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Non customer-centric behavior number 2:

You never talk about your competition because “sales school” told you not to

?Why this is not customer-centric:

We live in a time where information is becoming inflationary. If you know about your competition and what they are good at, so will your customer. So why do you avoid talking about competition? Your customer will think you avoid the topic because you cannot explain what sets you apart and how you will catch up in areas where you lack behind.

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Non customer-centric behavior number 3:

Every year you send a “Voice of the Customer” survey to collect feedback on how you can improve as a supplier.

Why this is not customer-centric:

This is a passive approach to improving. Your customers will not have the time to fill in all these surveys they receive from their numerous suppliers. What they are really after is you communicating your specific actions on how you will improve the relationship moving forward.

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Non customer-centric behavior number 4:

You always remind your customer in any situation of the value you create as a supplier without really explaining why what you create is actually of value to your customer.

Why this is not customer-centric:

You, as the supplier, spend a lot of money on R&D, being the market leader in your category, having a sales office on every continent and 35 production locations around the world are not necessarily items that your customers consider as value. By only talking about these points, you ignore your customer’s reality and fail to explain what is important to them.

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Building winning relationships with your customers begins by acknowledging what you currently don’t do so well.

Accepting that you may not be all that customer-centric after all, can be that important first step.

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What do you think? Will you take that first step?

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Let's build bridges between #procurement and #sales – one brick at a time.

?? I train sales and procurement professionals to unleash their customer-centricity mindset.