You might be wondering what OCD has to do with marketing. I mean, we all have a few obsessive behaviors about something. Don’t we? But when we talk about OCD in marketing, what we’re talking about is obsessive customer drive.
Obsessive customer drive refers to the obsession of turning our customers into raving fans that in turn become life-long brand advocates. And as a business, who wouldn’t want to have customers that help you in attracting and delighting future customers. But developing obsessive customer drive for your organization takes more than just training, it has to be ingrained in your company culture. Here’s why.
The rules have changed and will continue to change. One can liken it to the recent changes in the NFL, where the referees don’t even know what a fair catch is. It can feel impossible to win in that scenario.
It’s the age of the customer, the buyers’ journey has changed. Buyers no longer want to rely on you. They want to get peer recommendations, they want to check out third-party websites, and they want to ask their partners before making a decision. Of course, they are going to check out your website.
Another big change is the number of people involved in a buying decision. In fact, CEB estimates that almost 7 people are involved in every decision. You become obsessed with understanding your customers’ needs and pains in order to connect with them in a personal way.
You’re going to tell me that you know your customers, and you probably have a good foundation. But the key is to think differently, to think like them. In the State of the Connected Customer by Salesforce, they found that 89 percent of people expect you to understand their unique needs and expectations.
Yes, the power has shifted from you to your buyers. Welcome to the age of the customer. So, what does that mean? There are three things you can do.
First and foremost, remember it’s not about you. It’s about your customer and solving their pain points. So, stop talking about your products and start talking about your solutions.
How your customers experience the world personally is what they expect from you, in a business. Expectations are elevated at every interaction. So, you need to provide an experience that engages.
People want to be treated like humans, not numbers. Personalization is hugely important. Over 50% of people say that to win their business, you need to tailor your interactions with them based on past experiences.
To get in gear, you need to provide a personalized solution that anticipates needs and solves problems. And you need to have a process and develop a rigor around fully understanding your customer then you too can develop an obsessive customer drive?