It's All About the Customer!

Everything we do as marketers has to originate from being customer-centered. Here's what I mean by that: for every action that we take or don't take, we should bear in mind how it affects the customer. Ideally, everything we do will result in a better customer experience. Otherwise, we risk running afoul of what our customers truly want.

Here's an analogy to demonstrate my point: Suppose I'm the chef in a restaurant, and you wander in hungry for a little dinner. Instead of giving you a menu and asking you what you want, and then cooking that up, I decide what you get to eat—because I'm the master chef, the ultimate arbiter of food tastes for all humans. In my infinite wisdom, completely ignoring your desires, I grill you up a prime rib eye steak. I sear it up with the best herbs and spices…my finest collection, since I am a master chef. And it truly is the best steak in the world. And next, after arranging this meat with parsley and other food decorations, I present it to you. But you justifiably reject it! Why? How could you say no to the world's greatest steak? It's simple. It's obvious. It's because I ignored your desires, what you wanted, and my meat-loving soul projected my desires onto you. Which is no good in the culinary world, or in business. My point here is that everything has to originate and come from the customer. Any biases, prejudices, and personal opinions you have must be set aside when you focus on the customer.