The fundamental, universally accepted assumptions upon which traditional
marketing approaches are built could use some serious thought and updating.
What, for example, if we asked whether businesses actually have to compete
for customers. Does that seem silly? The answer would be, “Of course, they
do! What planet are you from? It’s a dog eat dog world-and it’s always been
that way.” But there is another way to look at it, a way that can create a
dramatic shift not just in the way business is done but in how we treat our
customers and each other.
The fact is that the assumptions about competition actually contradict a
powerful law of nature-no, not the one about survival of the fittest-but the
one that says that each of us is unique, that no two people are exactly the
same. If no two people are exactly the same, then it stands to reason that
no two businesses are exactly the same. It is simply not possible for two
businesses to serve the same client’s needs equally. One will be a better
fit than another; the best fit produces a perfect client or customer working
with the perfect provider.
THE IDEA OF PERFECT FIT
We believe that each of us,
and the businesses we’ve joined or created, exist for a specific purpose or
mission. Our businesses have developed as a result of our own experiences and
needs, and are simply tools for fulfilling that mission. Then we take this
principle and extend it to strategic synchronicity, we see that each business
has its own mission to serve a particular group of customers in a particular
way. That is why businesses have no need to compete with each other in the
way we’ve traditionally thought of it. Instead, business owners and
managers could collaborate in ways that truly serve their customers’ and
their own interests.
If this sounds heretical, then it simply shows how the idea of competition is
deeply ingrained in our culture and colors our views of the way we do
business.
Consider the memorable scene in the classic movie “Miracle on 34th Street,”
when Kris Kringle, as Santa Claus at Macy’s, refers a customer to Gimbals, a
rival department store because he knows that the customer would find the
exact item she is looking for right there. Kringle recognizes that it is in
Macy’s best interests to serve the needs of the customer-even if it means
losing the sale to another retailer. He knows that he is helping to building
a reputation among his customers that Macy’s is the first place to shop. If
Macy’s doesn’t have it, they will know who does.
Today, in this age of abundance, businesses can be even more attractive-and
of greatest service to themselves, their organization, their customers, and
their communities-when they are knowledgeable about the products and services
offered by other businesses in their industry. Understanding that
collaborating with others increases the overall abundance of products and
services will, ultimately, bring great success to everyone. All that is
needed is to
change our thinking from the myopic view of our own business to the broader
concept of collaborating with others. By taking the focus off the individual
sale, account, or deal, we are able to broaden our view of and the odds of
success for our own business.
There is another lesson to be learned from Kris Kringle’s example. When we
can clearly see and follow our own life’s path and purpose, we can also see
that our perfect customers’ paths lead right to our doors, virtual or
otherwise. There is free and easy movement, harmony exists instead of
obstacles, and together we generate prosperity, abundance, and generosity.
This in turn leads to more prosperity, abundance, and generosity, which in
turn leads to more prosperity, abundance, generosity, which in turn…well,
you get the point.
We know instantly the moment we meet a
perfect customer along our path. There is an immediate spark of attraction
and connection between this person and our product or service that quickly
leads to mutual admiration. Almost instantly, we find ourselves freely
sharing information with this customer because they make us feel needed,
appreciated, respected, and understood. Our opinions, values, and outlooks
on life are similar. After just one conversation, we feel as if we have
known each other for a long time. And, over the course of time, our social
interactions with this perfect client increase, as does the quality of our
business relationship. It expands and deepens into a true friendship as we
find new ways to be of service to them and they provide a steady stream of
referrals to us.
Conversely, it stands to reason that when we choose to follow another
path-one that better suits another business, we find that the clients who
come our way are not intended for us. They are “less-than-perfect” clients
for us and our businesses. Usually, this lack of fit becomes apparent
immediately as we realize that there is no synergy between us and the client.
Interactions with these clients tend to be confusing and unfulfilling.
They come wanting us to provide a product or service that we do not normally
offer. Or, they have no idea what they need and they want us to figure it
out for them. They want us to make exceptions to our policies, to provide
discounts, to provide credit terms beyond our standard agreements. The truth
is that they are actually looking for another business to serve their needs.
Somehow, we simply got in their way. They may have misinterpreted our
advertisement, or our message may have been unclear. Perhaps we tried to
compete by copying the strategy of another business rather than staying true
to our unique mission. Or, perhaps we have been making exceptions to our
policies for other clients and now we are getting a reputation that we don’t
want.
WHEN PERFECT FIT ISN’T SO PERFECT ANYMORE
There are times when a previously perfect customer becomes a
less-than-perfect customer for our business. Taking a lesson from Kris Kringle,
the most mutually satisfying way to be of
service is to build close relationships with others in your industry to know
who may better serve this client.
In a situation where it is not possible to serve all of a customer’s needs
within your own business, it’s important to form alliances with others in
your industry. For example, Sandi, a manager with an international car
rental company, credits her success to referring her customers to other car
rental companies whenever her inventory did not specifically meet her
customers’ needs. She recalls a time when a customer arrived at her counter
with his family of five and their six suitcases. She immediately recognized
that their reservation for a full-size car would not meet their needs for a
stress-free vacation, but she didn’t have any larger vehicles available for
them to rent, nor did she want to send them off on their vacation packed into
a too-small car. Faced with this dilemma, Sandi arranged for the family to
rent a mini-van from another rental car company. She recognized that what
she was losing was only the sale that day-not the customer. And, what she
gained in good will with this customer, and with the other car rental
company, came back to her many times over in future reservations.
THE POWER OF TWO-OR MORE
We have developed a working relationship with a large network of coaches,
consultants, facilitators, trainers, and marketers in order to learn more
about their most perfect clients. When we know more about their mission and
how they approach their work, we can more easily refer customers and clients
to them. Although it may appear on the surface that we do similar work for
similar types of clients, we always find that our work is complementary, not
competitive. That’s because we each see ourselves, our businesses, and our mission
differently. And our clients do, too.
DEVELOPING COLLABORATIONS THAT WORK
Many of us have probably collaborated in the past and didn’t realize it,
perhaps because it is so easy to incorporate collaboration into our business
practice. Yet, collaborating intentionally is even more powerful.
The first step in developing a network of collaborators is to recognize that
lack of trust is usually what holds us back, and that the remedy for this
concern is to collaborate only with our most perfect collaborators, those who
treat us they way we want to be treated. But how do you attract those types
of collaborators?
A good place to start is by listing the qualities that you want your collaborator
to demonstrate. You might want to include such qualities as “an openness to
collaborating,” as well as “credible skills and knowledge,” “integrity,”
“honesty,” “commitment,” and “focus,” just to name a few.
The next step is to create alliances with those people who match your perfect
collaborator profile. Begin by looking at your existing network of
associates and the products or services they provide. Are there more ways
that you can mutually assist each other in serving your customers?
For example, if you are a software trainer and consultant, then you probably
have relationships with computer hardware representatives, installers,
networkers, and other software trainers and consultants. Take the time to
learn what additional services each of these people offers that your customers
might also need either now or in the future. Get together with these
collaborative businesses to offer a free seminar for your most perfect
customers on the latest technological developments. Your customers will
appreciate the time and headaches that you have saved them by bringing
solutions directly to them.
Beyond your existing contacts, there are many others in your industry who are
also potential
collaborators. You can meet them by getting actively involved in industry
associations and
community activities that will increase your visibility, making it easier for
like-minded people to find you. Contributing articles to trade publications
serving your industry, accepting invitations to speak at industry forums, and
taking the initiative to call on the owners of other businesses in your
industry will also move this process along.
Once you have identified potentially perfect collaborators, it is important
for each of you to
share openly and honestly your definitions of what constitutes a perfect
client for each of
you. In this manner, you can clearly determine where your businesses overlap
and where you are
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION
Take a moment to contemplate the following questions, and write down your answers.
These questions are designed for you to consider what might be possible for
you and your business if you had at least one collaborator in your same
industry.
- Who in your same industry do you consider to be your main “competition?”
- If you were not serving your customers, who would be serving them?
- What services do these businesses offer that are the same as yours?
Different from yours? - Have you ever referred one of your less-than-perfect customers to one of
your “competitors?” - What would stop you from referring a less-than-perfect customer to one of
your “competitors?” - Under what conditions would you refer a less-than-perfect customer to one
of your “competitors?” - Do you belong to an association or organization dedicated solely to your
industry? - If so, what benefits have you received as a result of your membership in
that organization? - Who else do you know in your industry who belongs to this organization?
- Can you name a less-than-perfect customer whom you would consider referring
to a collaborator after reading this chapter?
A MORE PERFECT BUSINESS IN JUST 21 DAYS
If you want to make a dramatically impressive difference in your business, we
invite you to meet or speak with a new potential collaborator every day for
the next 21 days. You will create quite a stir within your industry, you
will have a greater breadth of knowledge about your industry than other
businesses providing similar services, and your reputation for being open and
collaborative will spread very quickly resulting in increased positive
awareness and referrals. Who will you be calling first?
PerfectCustomers Inc.’s mission is to generate communities in which millionaires are produced!
Jan Brogniez, CEO, combined her mastery of strategic planning and a keen business acumen to develop of PerfectCustomers Inc.’s proprietary Strategic Design Session process. This process has successfully and effectively empowered a wide variety of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and sales and operations teams to invent and achieve “Big Bodacious Audacious” goals and create organizational legacies exponentially. Called a “pioneer in experiential workshop facilitation,” Jan’s strength lies in designing and delivering custom-designed workshops, corporate retreats, and executive planning sessions. Jan provides the organizational structure; building the foundation that sustains Perfectcustomer’s unprecedented growth and global presence.
Stacey Hall, VP of Sales & Marketing, is credited by industry experts as the inventor of the revolutionary Strategic Attraction Planning Process. Through this paradigm-shifting methodology, thousands of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, as well as sales and training teams, have been transformed into powerful magnets that quickly and easily attract the most perfect and profitable customers to their doors and web sites. Drawing on her background of designing and implementing global marketing plans, Stacey keeps the organization attracting perfect customers and opportunities that are steering the company to success and greater levels of profitability.
The third edition of their global best-selling book, “Attracting Perfect Customers…The Power of Strategic Synchronicity,” is available in bookstores, through on-line booksellers, and at www.perfectcustomer.com
