Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Does this sound familiar? Is it a phrase that you dread when you start a journey in the car?

My eldest who is 15 will still ask this question at times so you can only imagine what my nearly 5 year old must be like. At least there is an answer to this question when it comes to a journey from place A to place B. But when do we know if we are there when it comes to 'Audience Centricity'. When is our work really done?

When I plan a day out I look at the needs of my children who have a 10 and a half years of age gap between them. This means that what will be entertaining for one might be torture for the other. This often narrows down the choices I have. If I went to an animal park I will for sure have a sulking teenager with me all day and if I decided to go shopping for trainers all day my little one will get frustrated after an hour or so.

So, like anything I need a strategy, a plan and a day out that caters for their individual needs. I also discuss the things they both like and work around that, like food. They both love food so family dinners out are a huge success !

What I have to accept is that there always will be that age gap between the two brothers so I have to bear this in mind when planning days out, holidays etc.?As they both get older, their ideas of 'fun' will change. What might be very entertaining right now might not be entertaining in 2 years time. Their needs will change so I will have to change our approach towards days out, holidays and whatever we do as a family.

Very similar is the approach that we should have towards our buyers, we have to keep working at being 'Audience Centric' regardless of where you sit in the organisation. Our buyers needs will change with time so will the challenges their business faces. To me 'Audience Centricity' is an ongoing way of doing business. Just like you never stop being a parent once you are one you cannot stop being 'Buyer Centric' if that's the ongoing goal of your business.?

Shifting to an Audience Centric approach is easier said than done but it still remains at the top of B2B leaders priority list. Alignment between Sales, Marketing and Product leaders is the key ! Here at SiriusDecisions we help our clients do exactly this. Visit www.siriusdecisions.com to find out more.