Why take a long-term view a strategic view of everything you’re about based on “Value created for target customers”……”Value recognized by target customers”?

In other segments of our economy when an important product does not receive great, reliable performance and especially SERVICE, that product brand name becomes trash…a pariah. It’s true of autos, computers, food companies, appliances and it’s true for commercial print.

In today’s world of increasing technology, “Great Customer Service”…. is the ‘gold standard’… of modest organizations….for winning your war against large, publicly owned, technology-driven organizations… who prove by what they do….that they don’t really care about their customers.

What do you know about what your current customers know and don’t know about your company’s capabilities and how much of their business you are receiving and not receiving? A modest investment can reward you with an incredible ROI and it certainly helps to know who and where and why to focus your time and attention.

“Print Buyers” tend to reward suppliers….who work to: (a) educate and train them in a constructive manner… (b) show them how to accomplish more….and (c) make their jobs --- easier… (i.e… not wasting their time).

What’s it worth to learn which of your customers are only awarding you 11% of their business…? What’s it worth to learn which  three of your top 10 customers are willing to tell you that you aren’t very important to them….?

Your customers do NOT know what your company can produce, they tend to only know what they buy from you. Every “Client Open-House” I’ve ever observed, resulted in “uplifting morale” including but not limited to “first-time” introductions to important customers we’d only heard about or only talked to on the phone or had not personally talked to for...

Most readers of this column have a “Customer Profile” software of some design. That Customer Profile software --- is for supplier’s customer contact personnel --- to learn and record --- “Important Customer Information”  including what each Customer/Buyer wants, needs, and doesn’t want.

Recent columns focused on understanding better what individual customers want from their suppliers…and how to escape being a “Commodity Supplier” --- winning on Price.

Are we reduced to competing on “Price” if we (and our industry) are seen as “commodity suppliers”? If we don’t know much about our customer(s) other than specifications of their projects…..the answer may be “YES!”