The Nature Of Customers
All my life I've been fascinated with nature, especially the part that involves any kind of animal. In college I split my studies between biology/zoology and business until the advanced level courses caused me to make a decision. And since you know me as The Small Business Advocate, I don't have to tell you which direction I chose.But my ardor for nature has never waned, and the good news is, my chosen field has provided me with thousands of close encounters of the third kind with the most interesting species in all of nature: the human being.
The Nature Of Humans
Just as we have learned about the nature of many wild things, we also know much about human nature. In many ways, the nature of humans isn't much different from that of other animals: We need to breathe, eat, drink, procreate, and survive. But there is something that sets humans apart from all other fauna: We are sentient. And one of the manifestations of being self-aware, beyond whatever we need, is that we also want.
Perhaps one of the most essential things we must understand about the nature of those very important humans - our customers - is the difference between what they need and what they want. Here are some examples of what I mean, as well as what to do with that information.
• Everyone who owns a car will need to buy new tires at some point. But what they want is to not have to take an entire Saturday to find and acquire them.
So if you're in the tire business, should you advertise your tires, which are much like those of your competitors? Or should you focus attention on your service program that anticipates when your customers' tires need replacing and handles that project for them, including pick-up and delivery? How about this tag line: "New tires AND your Saturday back."
• Basically the hairless weenies of the animal kingdom, human beings need shelter. But what they want is a home, not a house.
So if you're a realtor, should you focus your assistance on the list of features of a house, or how the exterior setting and interior space fits your customers' sense of what a home is? Try this on: "Mrs. Johnson, countertops can be replaced. What I want to know is how much will you enjoy the sun rising over that ridge as you have your first cup of coffee every morning for as long as you live here?"
• Humans, like thousands of other warm-blooded animals, need to eat every day, whether they get to or not. But only humans want to dine.
So if you own a fine dining restaurant, do you emphasize the food that will be forgotten tomorrow, or the atmosphere that can create a memory? Check this out: "Long after you've forgotten how wonderful our food is, you will still remember that table for two in the corner, or the booth next to the fireplace."
The Nature Of Friends
It is the nature of many species of animals to live in groups. There are herds, schools, pods, flocks, gaggles, droves, packs, and of course, families. It's clear that some animals, like elephants and whales, have life-long relationships. But those are co-dependent communities. Humans also need the support of others. But beyond need, only humans cultivate friendships merely because they want them, and they do so in multiple communities.
The desire for friends is another of the most important aspects of human nature we should study about our customers. One of Webster's definitions of friend is, "a favored companion." The sooner we realize that modern-day customers want to think of our business as a friend, and the sooner we make them feel that we are a valued companion in the marketplace, the closer we will be to sustained success. And one thing you know about me is that when I use the word success, I mean both on and off the balance sheet.
Friendship As A Brand
A member of my Brain Trust, Lois Geller, has written a book that focuses on the possibilities of being friends with customers. In Customers For Keeps, Lois identifies several stages of what she calls, "Friendship Branding." I want to talk about a few of those stages, and how they will help us use what we know about human nature to create successful friendships with our customers.
Put A Human Face On Your Company
In order to have clean clothes, modern humans think they need a washing machine. But there are dozens of brands? Most humans don't want to become a washing machine expert. But if you are, you can become the friend who leads them through the appliance labyrinth to a successful purchase, and ultimately, to what they really want, clean clothes.
Lois reminds us that nobody ever became friends with a brand. Therefore, if you're in the appliance business, should you focus on your brands, of which you are likely not the only supplier in town, or your experts, who are truly unique, and capable of being a friend?
Connect To The Right Customers
Someone once said, "Friends you choose, family you're stuck with." Lois tells us to make customers into friends, not family. Like our social friends, we should choose our customer friends wisely.
A customer who is motivated by price alone will not become a friend to small business. Let the discounters be their friend. It's not possible for you to do business with everyone anyway, and the good news is you don't need everyone's business to be successful.
Just like choosing a friend, choose customers who have something in common with you, take care of them, and let the others go somewhere else.
Make Customers Feel Secure
Humans don't need security, but they want it. And a big part of humans feeling secure is thinking that someone is looking out for them. As Webster said, "a favored companion."
You would be hard pressed to find a more exciting thing about owning a small business than the fact that every time you make a sale, you have an excellent chance of making a new friend or strengthening an old one. And every time that happens, you not only deliver product and service, you also deliver security. It's a beautiful thing, and no one does it better than small business.
When you've created a friendship brand, your customers won't think of your stuff when they need something, they will see the faces of the friends who will deliver what they want.
Write this on a rock... Most humans can get whatever they need in lots of places. But still they search for what they want. It's human nature. It's not a mystery. And as a small business owner, you are in an excellent position to turn that information into success both on and off the balance sheet.
