I’m often told by potential clients – in answer to the question, ‘on what basis do you compete for customers?’ – that ‘customer service is our point of difference’. In almost all cases service is NOT a competitive advantage. In fact, this answer is normally a tacit admission of a complete absence of one! Let’s… “Customer service is NOT a competitive advantage!”
In recent times, it’s become fashionable to talk about ‘internal customers’. The thinking is that everyone in our organisation is a customer service person. If we don’t serve direct customers, we serve internal customers, where these internal customers might be other divisions, co-workers, management, channel partners etc. While this reasoning may form the basis of… “There’s no such thing as an internal customer”
I’m often asked by clients how to cope with the ‘appeal to brand equity’ made frequently by (some) marketing people (particularly those selling advertising) in defense of promotional activities. (To review my position on ‘brand equity as a management metric’ you might like to read this article. The marketer’s position is typically as follows: We… “Countering the ‘promote to build brand equity’ argument”
I spent a couple of hours with a Sydney-based insolvency practitioner last week. He visited to request assistance with his marketing. (Yes it’s okay, Ballistix is still solvent!) Because this was my first meeting with a potential client I waited a full 10 minutes before challenging the viability of his business model. Fortunately, my guest’s… “Baptism by fire: a sustainable competitive advantage or else!”
Whose responsibility, I wonder, is client retention? Most organisations believe it’s the salesperson’s. Consequently, many salespeople spend a disproportionate amount of their time on account management. ‘Account management’ is a polite way of referring to a process that involves driving from client to client, drinking coffee and talking about the football. In the US, they… “Client retention: whose responsibility?”
