My Favorite Customers
During a recent initial meeting with a prospect I was asked, what are the typical characteristics of my favorite customers. I really love this question because it allows me to expound on a topic that I don’t usually have the license to discuss very often. Some people might say that they like well funded customers, and some prefer attractive or funny customers. I have even heard some consultants say that they prefer less experienced customers because it gives them more opportunity to mold their thinking. Not me – I prefer very experienced customers - the more scar tissue the better.
First, I should probably offer a short explanation of what I do for a living, which will provide some insight into the type of customers with whom I work. I am a management consultant, focused on business transformation, and I work with companies who are trying to improve the business outcomes they achieve from working with their customers. The company where I currently belong, Innoveer Solutions, is a CRM Consultancy. We help our clients work more effectively with their customers. I personally get involved with making recommendations to my clients regarding their CRM programs – how to best plan them, how to best implement them, how to best optimize them after implementation.
So, my definition of a good customer is one who heeds the advice I am being paid to provide, and, one who actually acts upon it. Please don’t think that I state this with unnecessary bravado or hubris – my job is to provide advisory services after all, and I do stick to topics I am experienced within. I don’t, for example, advise people how to invest company profit or how to avoid paying taxes.
What I have learned is that those customers who listen best and are most likely to act on my advice are those that already have had some experience with the nature of the advice, and their experience did not go as originally expected. These customers have learned that things can go wrong. They tend to be realistic. As a business transformation consultant, I am typically advising my clients how to complete an organizational change and the content of that advice is often focused on how to reduce risks. Experienced customers have seen that those risks are real and are more likely to listen to suggestions for their mitigation. Less experienced clients don’t always believe that the risks require the level of effort recommended and want to find ways to cut corners (which typically translates into cutting effort and costs).
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want to offend anyone with overgeneralizations. I have worked with many good folks who were going through their first CRM journey and through establishing a good level of trust they have been very good at carefully following advice. However, overall, I do think that those with scars have a tendency to listen best. Having said all that, I will also add briefly that I do enjoy working with nice people, too.