DECODING CUSTOMER CENTRICITY: UNVEILING THE ESSENCE OF PUTTING CUSTOMERS FIRST

Are you genuinely a customer-centric leader?

Customer-centricity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a strategic approach that places the customer at the forefront of your business, ensuring positive experiences and fostering long-term relationships. So, I’ll be direct —

Do you embody this as a leader? Do you authentically prioritize your customers in everything you do?

Now, let’s get specific. Who is your customer? Is it the person buying your product, or is it the person working for you? If you’re leaning towards the latter, which ones exactly?

For me, the customer is unequivocally someone who works for you. Why? Because you wield a more direct influence over them than the person choosing to buy from you.

Contrary to many leaders who narrow their focus to direct reports, I challenge this perspective. I assert that your customer extends beyond your immediate reports to encompass everyone they lead. Essentially, you compensate your direct report, whether you’re a business owner or an executive, to take care of your customer. Your role involves selecting and grooming individuals to not only serve your customer but also contribute to the broader success of the company.

So, now we’ve established who our customers are — the people closest to the shopper, under the guidance of those we directly compensate.

The next critical question: How do we ensure our customers are content? How do we guarantee that those we pay a salary prioritize customer satisfaction, creating positive experiences and cultivating lasting relationships to retain top talent?

The answer is straightforward: you engage in skip-level interactions. You go directly to the source, observe, and ask questions. Gain insights and use them to tailor coaching strategies for your direct reports, ensuring an even better experience for your customers.

In my experience, even leaders with the best intentions often overlook the power of skip-level interactions. They fail to directly engage with the source and leverage these insights not only to hold their direct reports accountable but also to coach them in delivering an enhanced customer experience for their employees. It’s a missed opportunity that can make all the difference in truly embodying customer-centric leadership.

Why not evaluate your direct reports based on their observable actions, knowledge, and communication skills?

Ask yourself a critical question: if all the customers who work for a direct report — someone who acts right in front of you, communicates well, etc. — are unhappy and discontent, what should that tell you? It’s time to reevaluate your leadership strategy and ensure that your actions align with a truly customer-centric approach.

Let’s take a practical example from an organizational chart: CEO, VP, Regional Director, District Manager, General Manager, Assistant Managers, and Sales Associates. The CEO compensates the VP to ensure that Regional Directors are at the forefront of their business, delivering positive experiences and cultivating long-term relationships. The VP, in turn, compensates the Regional Director to ensure that District Managers receive a similar focus. This pattern continues down the hierarchy, with each level ensuring the next is customer-centric.

Being customer-centric is consistent at every level. Each role involves someone being paid to take care of the customer. If every role engages in skip levels to guarantee the desired result and utilizes insights gained from skip-level interactions to elevate the performance of those they compensate, the business will not only thrive today but for decades to come.

Companies talk about being customer-centric all the time. Like I mentioned earlier it’s the buzzword of the moment. For the most part, companies think about the shopper and not those who are closer to the shopper than they are and those they employ to take care of the shopper. This is within their circle of influence and where being customer-centric can actually come to life.

I get there is a lot more involved in running a successful business. The product has to be created and delivered.

But just imagine for a minute and envision a world where every leader leads this way. They coach up the person they pay to deliver the best experience possible for your customer by going straight to the source by skip leveling. They hold those they pay accountable for delivering on the customer-centric promise.

Let’s #getupandgo together. #retail #retailleadersroadmap #retailwellwisher