Customers are the reason businesses and organizations exists; we exist to serve them. It is they who have the vision to hire, pay for and invest in their needs and ideas. They should be the nucleus of the organization. And while this post is a matter of business, the same applies to any environment, be it non-profit or public. A successful organization must design itself completely around the customer. This not only guarantees return business, but makes you leaner and more focused with your resources.

I had the pleasure of spending time with fellow entrepreneurs at the Tuck School of Business last week, a fantastic place with exceptional faculty. Customer-focus was an essential element of our discussions. So… how do you become customer-centric?

Step 1 Understand Needs, Eliminate perceptions

Have you talked to your customers lately? Do you know what they say about you to their friends and colleagues? The answers is often no. While we think we talk to our customers daily in our act of servicing them, asking your customers questions about your product or service is a whole new conversation.

Satisfaction = Expectations – Perceptions

The only way to satisfy your customers, is to understand first what they want. It’s very possible that it’s not what you think…

Step 2 Ideate Responses, Create Solutions

Now that you know what your customers need and how they perceive you, the first step is to reflect. And not just you Mr./Ms. Executive, but your entire organization. The people who work with your customers on a day-to-day basis have a lot to gain from customer insights, and even more significantly, have a lot to offer in terms of solutions. Brainstorm with the team and come up with some potential ideas and processes to address concerns.

Step 3 Be Realistic and Try a Few Things Out

You can’t change over night. Identify some easy-to-execute improvements and try them out. Get a few key customers involved; let them know you’ve heard their feedback and have used it to improve. They will love you for it and it will allow you an opportunity to put your ideas into practice.

Step 4 Ask Why

Walmart starts and ends every meeting by repeating their company cheer. Japanese companies start off with exercise as they sing the company song. These tactics work! Everyone in the organization should not only know the mission but allow it to drive their efforts every day. Their connection to the mission will allow them to understand the purpose of both their work and the organization.

We at Blue Daring live for our customers, but we also need to make sure that our service is representing that. This summer we will be taking our own advice and reaching out to our customers so that we can use their input to improve.

At the end of the day, it’s not about us – it’s not about you. Its about those you serve and most importantly how you do it.

The thought of one of the leading beauty brands partnering with THE authority on color is such a genius idea I’m surprised it took so long for it to happen.  Partnering with other organizations is a great way to open up your brand to new service offerings,  new audiences and new opportunities.  Here are some tips of what to look for in a successful partnership.

Look for partners in complementary industries:  Take time to think about your services and what partnerships would complement them. Sephora’s partnership with Pantone is brilliant because they both service audiences that value similar things (albeit in different ways).  It helps them both present beauty and creativity in a new light to their customers. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, and ask yourself what they value in you. Who can you partner with that shares the same values?

More opportunities without more payroll: Partnerships are also great for expanding your team without expanding your payroll. Partnerships also allow you to go for business opportunities that might otherwise be out of your reach. The partnership with Sephora enabled Pantone to capitalize on the make-up market, one where the love of colors is the name of the game. I’m sure they never thought they’d be selling cosmetics! Finding organizations that can expand your existing operations on an as-needed basis is a great way to start.

Flexibility by proxy:  A great thing about partnerships is that they allow larger organizations to capitalize on the flexibility and nimble nature of their smaller counterparts; not to mention visibility to their niche audiences. While its difficult for more established companies to play in a start-up environment, partnerships can provide access to innovation and energy that combined with resources can lead to new products and opportunities.

Think about what partnerships your organization could benefit from.  With a little searching you will find a perfect match that will lead to beautiful results.

• “What should I wear?” — If the designer or photographer you’re working with hasn’t mentioned anything to you about dress, ask if there’s something special you should wear. It’s also good to know ahead of time how ‘tight’ the framing of the shots will be—full body or just a headshot—so you can plan accordingly. But as with most things in life, it’s good to be prepared for a little more than what’s expected, as inspiration can strike during the shoot and a new direction set. When possible, avoid black (and especially black-on-black combinations)—even the nicest black suits and dresses look like big solid blobs when reproduced.
• “Should I get my hair done?” — That’s certainly one way to look your best! But, really, that’s rarely necessary. A good compromise is to know ahead of time if there’s a bathroom or similar place nearby to freshen up, pick the lunchtime spinach from your teeth, and feel more confident heading into the shoot. Confidence is the real key to a great portrait!
• “How long will this take?” — 45 minutes in a single location, once set up with lights, is a decent yardstick for individuals in a few different poses. But there are a lot of factors are at play here. How many different shots are desired? Are there multiple “scenes” or locations? Are you the solo star of the shoot, or one of several individuals being shot, or part of a group photo? The photographer and art director work together to plan these things out and will have a rough idea that should be communicated to you. And if you’re on a tight timeframe, please communicate that as soon as possible, preferably during the planning stages.
• “Why all the gear?” — What’s the big fuss with all these lights, battery packs, umbrella reflectors…? Most planned portrait shots involve powered lights (called ‘strobes’) to balance out the existing light in a room and give a ‘fuller’ appearance to the shot with better defined highlights and shadows. It may seem like overkill, but it makes a huge difference in the quality of the shot.
• “Who’s that?” — You can expect to see an assistant or two on location who helps the photographer set up equipment, calibrate lights, and tidy up the area. They ensure that photographer stays behind the lens, so shoots can proceed more efficiently.
• “How’s it looking?” — It’s not at all unusual to have dozens (and dozens!) of frames shot without you, dear “subject,” having any idea of how the photos are turning out. And that can be a little disconcerting! While it’s best to let the photographer do their thing, know that it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a peek after a long string of shots.

Have a great shoot, and remember to have fun!

They helped enhance my experience – This experience made me feel like the diner actually cared about improving their users’ experience at their restaurant.  A lot of brands get too comfortable with their audience and never shake things up. Even something as simple as setting up a social network can help your audience feel more connected to your brand.  Embracing technology in a small ways can make a huge difference in user experience.

They used a solution that made sense to their business – In this technology rich world we live in everyday there is a new must have app, software, or social network.  A lot of companies jump the gun and sign up for whatever is in right now without taking time to decide whether it works for them and their brand. The loyalty program software is a great fit with this restaurant because it promotes frequent visits.  Taking a few moments to determine the right exploration path will make your journey a whole lot smoother.

It showed commitment on their brand:  So many brands get comfortable in their popularity or success.  As we have seen in the past few years a stale brand is a forgotten brand.  This cafe has many regulars but instead of being satisfied and complacent with their current customers and process they took a risk to show that they care about evolving the business for their target audience.

With all the new and exciting opportunities to integrate technology into your business there is no excuse to be stuck in the past.  A small step in the right direction is all you will need to catch your audiences attention.  This year feed your organization some new technology and watch your target audience eat it up.

Let’s begin with a basic question – why do we want to be big? Here are a few plausible responses to that:

1) I want to make a lot of money.
2) I want to employ many people.
3) I want to serve as many people as possible with my product.

Number one is the most popular because this society is hinged on the premise that the more you have the better you are (and the happier you’ll be). Your stockbroker-turned-baker friend will tell you – money doesn’t make you better or happier. More importantly in business, it certainly doesn’t make for happier customers. When money starts to matter more to a company than the quality and caliber of its product or service, its customers are exponentially more susceptible to competitors. Good products breed loyalty and loyalty means repeat business.

Let’s take answer number two. I want to be big so I can employ a lot of people. Why? If its a matter of power you have other problems. But if its a matter of responsibility or wanting to help people, then remember that happy employees are better societal contributions than people with jobs. A company being big and hiring many people means nothing if the employees are unhappy. Large companies are the poster child for this atypical largely depressed American workforce. It’s not that all large companies are bad companies, it’s simply that large companies are generally less able to scale an environment where everyone is doing what they love and feels valued and rewarded for it. Don’t focus on hiring more people, focus on growing a passionate team. That will take a lot more time than Groupon and Wal-mart may lead you to believe.

And finally, the most noble – to serve as many people as possible with your product. Why is that important? For a non-profit that’s easy – to help as many people as possible! (Mental note: There should be a lot more very large non-profits.) But if you’re a business what is the value of serving as many people as possible? A good answer is that you believe that your product makes people’s lives better in which case you really want as many customers as possible. (Apple and Steve Jobs are a reliable example.) But if that isn’t your response, which in most cases it isn’t, then consider that the more people you try to make happy the less people you will. Democratizing your product for the sake of quantity, makes you less able to serve your real customers. Take Jean Paul Gaultier. His fashion is weird and controversial, but its this exactly that his loyal customers love and what’s gained him global brand notoriety. Conversely, trying to please everyone is the reason (I believe) most American cuisine stinks. Pleasing the palettes of immigrants from dozens of countries across the world is no easy to task. Lesson? Create a brand based on who you really are as a company; customers that share your values will buy.

A good product, a good team and finally a strong brand are what make a good business – not size. Happy customers and profitability (not revenue!) are the result. I am not saying that growth is bad, growth is good (I wrote a lot about it last year.) But what is bad is growth for growth’s sake. Its the root problem behind America’s financial collapse and the fact that this country rates 150 out of 178 on the World Happiness Index (two slots above Rwanda). Focus on being the best possible business, not the largest, and chances are growth will come naturally.

There are arguably many advantages to steep discounting.  It can bring in new customers and allow businesses to get rid of excess inventory.  For business-to-business companies, offering a “deal” on a new contract might be what gets your foot in the door.

We can’t argue that new business is great, but wouldn’t you rather have new customers who value your offerings rather than a flock of them who want cheap goods? A good client knows a good product. She also knows that quality services and products will cost a bit more.  Constantly running promotions is a sure way to dilute your offering’s [and subsequently your brand's] worth.

Promotions aren’t all bad. Consider using them more wisely.  Perhaps offer discounts to reward valued customers.  If you want to run a promotion to attract new customers, consider a giveaway versus a price cut.  Alternatively if you’re willing to lose money to gain clients why not instead invest dollars into smart marketing that will bring new customers without the cost of devaluing your brand.

Perhaps I’m well practiced. Not at taking up new jobs, but at taking on newness. Part of the design process is embracing the unknown, accepting that we don’t know everything, and being comfortable at diving in to figure things out. I don’t really know much about far-flung topics like firefighting equipment, Cuban culture, or workforce education, but these are the worlds of our clients that I need to represent. And since part of my role as a designer and communicator is relating what’s really important about those things to other people, I get right to work at understanding all of that “newness.” In fact, it’s one of my favorite parts of the job.

Being new at things is something most of us shy away from:

• What’s familiar is comfortable, and we tend to embrace, identify with, or even cling to those things we know we’re good at.
• We avoid practices that take time and effort—hey, I’m busy here!
• We learn that failing is bad, and overcoming newness implies an awful lot of stumbles along the way.
• We love to feel smart, and confronting newness’s lesson that “maybe we don’t know, maybe we’re even incompetent!“—is scary and to be avoided.

But getting comfortable doing the same thing all the time is no strategy for business growth and especially not in the (pardon the cliché) current economic climate. Eventually, it will be time to try something new, like it or not. So, embrace it! And find partners who are adept at new ideas and can not only make newness profitable but occasionally, well, fun.

A brand ambassador is a key influencer in any given topic that agrees to endorse your product to their audience.  For example, this year The Limited clothing brand launched a new plus-size brand called Eloquii.  Instead of reaching out to one of the many full figured actresses in Hollywood, The Limited hired plus-size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg of gabifresh.com.  Gabi’s blog is read by thousands of readers who look to her for plus-sized fashion inspiration.  If Gabi posts a blog about a gorgeous piece from Eloquii you better believe tons of her readers, who already emulate her style, will run to the site and purchase that very article of clothing.  

Even your existing audience can serve as brand ambassadors.  Whenever someone in your company’s social network shares content linking back to you, they are spreading the word.  If you are still warming up to the idea of social media (and you really should be on board by now!) try creating a traditional marketing campaign that encourages your network to serve as brand ambassadors. Perhaps you can send out stickers for clients to display on their doors or windows, or maybe infuse an incentive into a referral-based campaign. The idea of brand ambassadors works for two reasons: it is based on the fail-proof equity of word-of-mouth and second it allows your brand to tap into the trust already built between an influencer and their audience. If you are unsure exactly who is the best person to reach out to for an ambassador  partnership you can try tools like  Klout.  Klout is a website that measures peoples online influence and  can help you get your products/brand in the right hands.

By building partnerships with brand ambassadors you will be able to precisely pinpoint your audience. So stop playing phone tag with Tom Cruise’s people and start identifying the attainable celebrities that will help give your brand some real cred.

Conversely, a business’s weakness is that of its leader. If you run an organization, ask yourself what you’re bad at. Are you a bad marketer? Perhaps you don’t know finance very well? Chances are your company lacks brand awareness and is in dire need of a good CFO. This is why when you are trying to improve your organization, begin by improving yourself.

I always say that you can’t be a good woman, a good father, a good boss, or a good son without being first good with yourself. Your ability to give to others is hinged on whether you have something to give. That is why you must cultivate and develop your strengths, passions and interests in order to be able to truly give to others.

For a company, the answer is easy. Surround yourself with partners who have the qualities and experience that you lack. A great wealth advisor or a trusted strategist, can help your business best capitalize on its strengths. Worst case scenario you’re a better company for the experience. Best case scenario you grow your business in a way you never knew possible.

The decrease in commenting can be accredited to none other then social media. More and more people are opting to share posts they find interesting rather then comment. And guess what? It’s good for business! Think of it this way… having a client tell you they are happy with the work you provided them is great, but what’s even better is having that client tell 5 friends they are happy with the work YOU provided them.

Adding a sharing tool (a widget that allows your blog visitors to easily send your link out to their social networks) is a great way to get visibility and drive your brand values.  It’s also a great way to get a group of people talking about your brand who otherwise wouldn’t.  Be sure to look for sharing plugins that make it easy for you to track who is sharing your link. (AddThis is the industry standard, it’s easy to install and best of all free).

As nice as it is to hear all the positive feedback you also want to be able to track down any negative issues as well (remember social networking is a great opportunity for customer service . Add sharing tools to your blog today to open the conversation… to everyone.