We don't get high scores as buyers.
For all the progress we've made in writing reviews and looking at what others have said about a product or a service, our sophistication when it comes to being informed about the purchasing process -- doing due diligence, looking at the data, knowing how to source stuff -- consumers or business buyers alike, we pretty much buy based on emotion.
Convenience and relevance also play a role.
It shows we're human. However, it continues to create a disconnect between buyers and marketers -- who are by far super sophisticated in their approach, comparatively-speaking. They know more about the products features and benefits than you as a buyer ever will, or ever want to.
They are smarter even though, admittedly, marketers are socially awkward, to put it mildly. Showing up uninvited in your conversations, and interrupting them with commercial messages.
I'm writing about buyers because we talk about so much about the sellers, we grade them, we watch how marketers do on loyalty, and so on, and we forget to grade buyers. Yet it is with buyers that we begin to understand why products (or posts for that matter, when it comes to readers) make it and why they don't.
Something interesting happens in this relationship between the savvy marketer and the customer.
The marketer either doesn't care about the individual customer -- all they want is volume and quality leads to get a nice pat on the back from senior management and sales (in B2B that is the goal) -- or gets too close for comfort -- sees your every click, knows your email address and is not afraid to use it.
The disconnect also happens because the customer doesn't worry too much about developing a relationship. Is there no accountability on the customer side? Is our own behavior as customers creating the treatment we get from companies?
Which ones of these statements ring true to you? Customers:
- want convenience and a good price
- will easily go elsewhere, even if they have a good experience
- need recognition for being loyal
- don't value or use reward programs
- have their own preferences to communicate
- will say one thing and do another
- don't read or follow directions
- demand attention and give none
- complain all the time
Forget when we gang up on companies, we're not much better one to one. I've heard some very interesting comments from customer service reps over the years. It's a very intense job -- it takes a lot of patience, dedication, and care, to help customers. Here are 21 things your customer service reps would never share with you (until now).
Sometimes, as customers, we need to get out of our own way. Experienced service organizations will tell you that better communication is a good way to help us do that.
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