Steve Jobs said, “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them” back then and now Apple promoted the Apple Patently Watch saying, “How to take an ECG ”. Do you see the change in the paradigm shift in the way it is marketed at two different points in time? That’s exactly the shift from a product-centric approach to a customer-centric approach! Well-O-Well, it didn’t take copious time to get to the point but still let’s get the details right!
A shift from “Product-centric approach to Customer centric approach”.
Very much are we familiar with the world that sold the product saying,
“Hey, Sam!
Check out our website builder tool. It has got;
- Drag and drop feature
- Attractive elements
- Easy navigable
- Website ready in less than hours!
- Easy maintenance
- Self constructive
- Price less than scratch-built websites
Why don’t you purchase us when you want a website done?
And yet an update, Free Hosting service!”
This says a lot about the product-centric approach. I make out that, it’s speaking much about the qualities of the product.
A product-centric approach introduces people to the product for the impact it can make in their lives. Gets in the nerves to make customers follow them and not the other way around. And that’s because continuous R & D minds are putting efforts to get that revolutionary piece. The best ones survive and sadly the unlikely products fail. So, the product is the King here.
Heads up:
- Pretty much dwelled in the product.
- Continuously working on the quality.
- Driving customers insane with its features.
- Encourages product innovation.
- In the long run of innovation comes a revolutionary product.
- Higher brand attention.
Heads down:
- Out rules the customer needs.
- Got to invest a lot to get on top of customers’ heads.
- Making people buy is tougher.
- Grabbing attention takes a unique proposition.
And now comes,
“Hey, Sam!
I heard you launched a new brand outlet. Why not reach out to more customers and go international with the website?
How about a website builder tool that cuts down your need to hire a web developer and gets the website done in just a couple of hours?
Presenting to you “The product”.
Try us for free!”
I see it’s solving the problem of an individual and then presenting the solution to it. More specific to the needs of a customer.
A customer-centric approach cares about the customer over a product. Product is carefully developed by understanding their needs and can go no wrong in serving them. Creating the best experience in the customer journey is the key!
Customer success is the team that works day and night to keep the happy customers happier!
Do you know the line from Rap God, “Why be the King, when you can be a God?” Customers are the God here!
Heads up:
- Hitting on the right problem, helps you thrive.
- Brands continue to persist with the growing needs of the customers.
- Customer success teams can heighten the business.
Heads down:
- Evolution of product out of customer’s perception lacks.
- By circling behind the customers one loses track of their brand revolution.
- Research is the doorway to customers’ needs and takes a lot of your time.
Check out the Customer Marketing guide to know more!
Have a thought to move to customer-centric approach?
In this approach, the business calculates revenue on the basis of customer lifetime value. The concept is to keep this metric high to be running profitable as a business. But in order to track this metric, it’s crucial to get you on the processes that set this approach in the organization. Let’s run your eyes on this a bit!
A strategy that is worth trying!
Make a “All hand support” firm!
This is an ideal moment created by Olark – a live chat company that ensures each member of every team in the organization engages with the customers rotationally to better comprehend their needs. It’s this perception that involves every department to know the pain points of the customer to serve them respectively to make a better impact!
So the key is to get the culture of the organization to care for customers and to understand their needs and not put them under the moving truck. So when are you planning to bring this movement?
Get to the roots of the customer’s needs.
How do you get there is when you carry out surveys or interact with people on webinars conducted especially to understand their needs. And now when you have social media reaching out to them is much easier. The logic is simple, you know customers better and you cater the solution just right for their needs.
Let the solutions revolve around the needs of the customers.
What’s the cause that makes the customer’s life a bit hard? What is that you can do about it? That’s the solution you need to work on. You market it tactfully and there you go up hitting the spot with the right marketing efforts as explained in the second scenario above.
Experience that is just amazing!
You’ve been a subscriber of a product and one day you get an email saying,
“Hey, Amy!
You’ve been a loyal customer and today I have something to gift you. Let’s have your subscription for the next year at a discounted price than ever for you!
Happy subscription!”
Will you not be amused? Surely!
That’s the intensity of personalization you want to communicate with your customers. Knowing what can get them going on with your brand, get’s them to stay connected and heartily welcomed.
Develop and unfold with customers.
You know what they need and you developed a product. But how will you grow is the question. It’s their usage of a feature or the trend that gets you there though there exist no traces of feedback, you still know how to evolve with them. That’s because the company centers around customers and that shall let you grow with them too at all the points in time series.
Final thoughts on Customer centric approach!
The live examples of both approaches have set their names. The uniqueness in the product can turn out to be a game-changer to stay product-centric, otherwise, in the competition, it’s greater to cater to customers’ needs while continuing to develop the product with a customer-centric approach.
Did you know there can be a future leveraging both approaches to stay ahead? In short, let’s call it a customer-centric product!
Whether it’s the aim to develop the finest product or coming with the finest solution, there is room for continuous up-gradation of the product at both the spaces and along with the insights of customer’s requirement, it can be a cherry on the cake type of product.
It’s up to you to market it with the product’s abilities or make the customer be your brand advocate. With the constant evolution in tech, what do you think, will be the next move for the businesses to excel?
