Decide your corner in a world that Transforms

I’ve thought long for writing this post. I have significant evidence now, from Borrow My Brain numerous Customer introductory meetings, that we all talk a lot about change, but we resist to change ourselves and our accompanying practices. This is the greatest issue of transformation, matching to a famous quote by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.

A lot of business owners and marketers that I interact with do realize and share openly, that something major must happen to ignite their Brands and operations for Growth through renewed Customer experience and loyalty. The same you hear by the new online creators and startups. But few do it. There are obstacles. Primarily behavioural. Sometimes internal resistance. Other times, resistance by the owner.

First, a shift in perspectives needed

For any company, operation, department, role, and profession the Change adoption and execution are critical. It keeps you up to speed with context, competition, and digitization. But it requires to first accept that there is an opportunity ahead if we are to improve what and how we do something today. Example: you realize that people order more and more online, but you continue investing in physical stores’ chain. A shift in perspective needed.

Example: you realize that Sourcing, Accounting, Business planning are now offered by e-platforms and apps and instead of investing in resources for customer support and partnerships, your cost-base is still allocated on old-routines, while an ERP / CRM combined could have led you to grow.

You know that e-commerce is accessible and low-entry, but you do it without investing in after-sales support personnel/bots etc.? You must be able to scan, read, understand, and see something that others can’t. Then, toughest, do the things that others won’t.

Companies and web entrepreneurs avoid becoming narcissists

I’m sometimes afraid that technology, smartphones, apps, peer-to-peer and digital solutions teach us that we are the centre of a universe. Click and you get an immediate response and fulfilment. We get everything on-demand. It’s so easy to get a like and promote something on Instagram. We feel empowered and a bit narcissists? If that is true, how can we have the patience to plan a Change program; a personal career transition?

It’s important to realize that companies, no matter the size or industry, and we all as internet creators don’t own the same “secured” role in the transformation. Those that first opened-up a market, those that introduced first a new service, or built a critical infrastructure will not surely lead in the digital transformation deployment phase as professor Carlotta Perez has explained some years now, in her theory framework (download the pdf here).

It’s important for owners, brands and marketers to realize that their customers aren’t just waiting for them to say or sell them something. They have many options. They click away in a few seconds. They’re also not impressed with the archaic means in which companies communicate with them. Please think: how clear is the “Customer first” for your audience?

Thirdly, innovate – innovate – innovate

Believe me, no matter if you are a coach or a multi-million FMCG, or a franchise there is great need to improve, evolve, change for better what you do and offer. Innovation is not a DNA thing. As I have seen it in global R&D hubs and to the owners I support, it takes first an internal process of discovery and then the desire to make sacrifices, change the routine of which you feel safe.

Innovation is about new Ideas, new Services, new easy access and new benefits for your Customer. The more you validate these ideas, your company’s culture becomes less risk averse (yes, even if you’re a small-medium size company). Only then, people will follow the leader away from “business as usual”.

Only by innovating you can open up to new partners, geographies, channels, loyalty schemes and communication themes. Otherwise, you might be trapped for good in the old routine. You might be keeping the same market share, but if you overlook the behavioural shift happening with mobile, social and real-time technology you will lose. These shifts change what people value, how they discover, connect and share, and also their intentions and aspirations so we should all have in place a targeted and relentless approach to modern engagement.

Now ask: what will your position be in the future?

What sort of novel do you want to write? It’s uniqueness? What unique concept does your restaurant offer? Why follow your channel on Youtube? Why buy your esteemed brand and not some cheaper alternative? Why insure with your company and not with some cheap promoted offer? Why?

It’s tempting indeed for any company and brand offering to be of high quality, low priced, durable, with excellent service, less filling, better taste, poetic phrasing, conveniently located, powerful characters and organic. All at once. But that’s not how humans process what you have to offer.

Customer experience is defined by what customer’s feel as a result of the total sum of engagements with a company in every moment of truth throughout the lifecycle/customer journey, off-and-online. Experience is the new brand. There’s a gap today between the brand promise and the experience people receive. In services and products…and people/creators.