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Listening to Customers 5 Tips

Written by: Martin Haworth

Article Overview: We talk about it and feel pretty clever, yet it is not something that we, as managers do consistently, nor enough. It's that old chestnut about listening to and truly hearing our customers - and our people. Here's why it's important...

Listening to Customers 5 Tips

In a strange juxtapositioning of articles, this month's UK 'Management Today' has three pieces, relating to the importance of listening to customers.

Susan Rice, CEO of Lloyds TSB makes it clear how vital it is for great leaders to listen and hear. She uses the example of how Coca Cola was swift to 'hear' it's customers when they revolted against New Coke back in 1985 (good job too, it was yuk!). She also rails against the viability of change programmes where over 70% fail to meet the original objectives. A dismal return, pretty consistently due to failing to hear the needs of staff as well as customers in the business.

Fast forward to page 19, where a small piece follows the situation Henry Ford precipitated in the early 20's, with his policy of 'any colour as long as it's black', for his new revolution in car making, the Model T. This worked very well for a few years, giving Ford an enormous 57% of the market.

Yet this historic icon of manufacturing efficiency, came back to bite him. His competitors, almost behind his back, found out, by asking and listening, that their customers wanted different colours.

By 1927, General Motors had stolen a March on Ford - and taken a big lead - and market share.

And finally, in an issue strangely focused on customer service, there is a long look at the state of the fashion market in the UK, now led by those lower priced upstarts who have become very visible over the last decade. From Asda's George brand, through TK Maxx, to Matalan, Primark and Peacocks.

These are all mounting the pavement and decimating traditional fashion retailers. Marks and Spencer are the usual victims, but not the only ones. The common strand here is that the victors are listening closely to and responding to the needs of their customers - they are taking the time to find out and, what's more, they are 'sensing' the mood; the trend of fashion retailing.

Maybe listening to customers is as vital as it seems. And whilst on the subject, a closer attention to employees wouldn't come amiss either.

What to do in your business?

Five tips:-

* Ask questions of the people that matter - customers and employees.
* Listen to their answers and question more.
* Act quickly on those things you can fix quickly.
* Build into your short-, medium- and long-term strategies the things you are finding out.
* Work to ensure that your people are empowered to do this all the time, day in, day out and to feedback to where it will be noticed.

Martin Haworth is a business and management coach and trainer, working with a range of clients from corporates to individuals worldwide. www.MartinHaworth.com

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Article Tags: asda, fashion market, fashion retailers, fashion retailing, great leaders, henry ford, last decade, lloyds tsb, marks and spencer, new coke, new revolution, peacocks, primark, susan rice, three pieces, traditional fashion, uk management, upstarts, victors, yuk



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Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: How do I find a direct mail list of potential customers - Hi WhyNot, Is it possible there are websites about the Federal Government. It needs to delve into it to find the key person. Listening for once to the news could pinpoint who is really in charge of this department. I wish you wisdom to connect with the right people. Nothing is too difficult, if you put your mind to it. Maybe some one else has a supportive idea.
Re: How to Get Over Your Fear of Failure, Make Every Second Coun - Hi Evan, I've just been listening to a couple of your MTM videos while packing parcels. I especially enjoyed this one on JKR. Listening to stuff like this while packing orders is one of my better ways of "making every second count!"
How to Do Great Marketing with (Amost) No Money - I've given this presentation to CEOs many times. Now i can share it with you. But I cannot because I do not yet have 20 posts. Jeff Ogden, President Find New Customers


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