Is your business customer-centric?

Or are we doing things the same way we did in the last century? Photographers need to find ways to be more customer focused, more customer-centric.

Some interesting things I have noted as we do business with the PHOTOtool are that photographers for the most part have not mastered the idea of passing on a level of enthusiasm for the job or assignment. Some basic business things that need to be addressed.

1. Answer your phone. Sure VM is nice, but if all your customers ever get is VM, you are passing a subtle message that you are not interested. Cell phones were designed for the purpose of taking and making calls when "not in the studio at this time."
2. Return calls as soon as you can. Most of the time I am returning your call when I get your answering machine... then, no call back for days.
3. Answer e-mail as quickly as possible. Nothing more frustrating than email being ignored or getting answers weeks later. Doesn't give an impression of timliness and excitement.
4. Work on your phone skills. I wish I had the nerve to tape some of the calls that happen. Some folks sound like they are bored to death, tired, ininterested or just not interested in speaking to anyone.

Note: I do not cold call - these are photographers that I have been asked to call, or who have called us and asked to be call.

Becoming more customer-centric can be an exciting turn for you business... one toward more work and fun assignments.

What's Your Brand Mantra?: "So why aren’t all businesses noticeably moving towards customer-centricity? They’re either holding on because the old way of business is the only thing they know… or the current organizational structure doesn’t support the new way of doing business… or there’s something else that needs to happen first.

Here’s what I think is going on: contrary to popular belief, there’s no such thing as a product company, a telecom company, a consulting company or a retail company. All companies are people companies. People make products for people. People serve people. People work with people and for people. I’d venture a guess that the root cause of business problems is not financial, not product-related, and not structure-related. Businesses live and die by its executives' and employees’ talents, levels of empathy and ability to play well with others… and by their willingness to listen and acknowledge that customers just may have some valuable input. If a business is rife with internal politics, fiefdoms and one-upmanship, I doubt that it will be successful in this new customer-relationship era. If a company’s employees aren’t successful in their personal relationships at home, it can’t become a successful people company."