There has been so much money invested in therapy sessions where people just want someone to actually listen to them. We are growing in a fast paced digital lifestyle that is limiting a human of his/her fundamental needs or wants.
Flywheel marketing works on the principles of Inbound that don’t just sell products but also build a real relationship with their customers. They show the customer how much they care about their presence and genuinely work towards fulfilling their needs/wants. If you are opting for flywheel marketing, you have to listen carefully to your customers.
Being Robotic can be really scary, so let’s do what we do best – Be human.
To understand the importance of a customer, we need to go a little back and forth in timelines.
The Shift From Producer Market To Customer Market
Let’s travel back in time when we used to go to the market and buy whatever was available to us. If it is the season of spinach, then we would centre most of our meals around leafy vegetables. We lived our lives based on what the producers gave us. Everything was about the product.
Compare this scenario to the Amazon online shopping now. You get the vegetables you want and everything else along with it- Vessels and ingredients. Your wish is their command. You are never stuck on- “What if I don’t find this?”
You don’t buy vegetables depending on seasons anymore. That is the big difference.
Businesses have made the impossible, possible. They moved to the customer oriented approach of doing business and it has made some remarkable changes in the industry.
Heavy market research of customer needs or wants and strategically understanding your customer’s behaviors is the new success formula in marketing. You have to do a lot more than research though.
You have to build a long lasting relationship with your customer so they become your loyal advocates and market your company for you. Word of mouth is the most trusted source of brand building.
Why Is Customer The Most Important Person?
Before you start your business, what is the first thing you do?
Define your audience.
Without them, you have no purpose.
Apart from generating revenue, delighting your customers is extremely important because they are the real brand ambassadors. They aren’t some celebrity who gets paid to advertise your product.
They are real people who only want to find the most suitable product. Their opinion matters to the thousands of other real people who will be relating to their need.
You have to dive into human psychology and sell them an emotion instead of just a product/service.
Wouldn’t you rather be treated with utmost respect and be constantly reminded of how important you are in this world? That is exactly how you need to make your customers feel. Give them a feeling of security and warmth and you have successfully earned their trust.
Let us get into the customer shoes to understand this better.
You are looking to buy a sofa which is not too big and not too plushy. You have decided to look for it online as well as physical stores. What would you prefer in the following:
- You are greeted well and given a glass of water, a catalogue for you to check your options in detail OR you look around and have to decide with whatever is there.
- The staff is very warm and understanding about your needs. They aren’t trying to sell the piece but actually considering what you would require OR aggressively trying to sell you something that is not even fitting your criteria?
There are a lot more instances like these that customers have to face because the business didn’t bother to research for their needs and wants. Nobody wants to settle for less.
You have to ensure that they receive the best treatment so there are frequent visits and positive reviews.
Customer At The Centre Of Marketing Flywheel
Our flywheel marketing concept thrives on this customer oriented approach. It believes that the customer should be placed in the centre and all the activities should revolve around them.
An actual flywheel’s purpose is to store the energy at its centre while rotating at a speed depending on the force applied.
A marketing flywheel retains its customers in the middle while devoting all the functions of the business around it. The applied force is the engaging content, excellent customer services and building a long term relationship.
Unlike the funnel, the customers return to the start of the flywheel marketing process- “Attract-Engage-Delight—repeat”. It addresses the customers that come back to buy from you.
Another advantage is that you are able to better assess the performance of your business based on customer feedback and if they are returning to your services. Your relationship with your customer actually determines the future of your business. The power lies at the centre of the flywheel, did you notice?
Tips On Delighting Your Customers
1. Human Touch: Whatever the extent of technology advancement, humans are created to harbour emotions and find ways to express them. You shouldn’t be selling something to them in a way like it sounds robotic. Make your product/service human. For example, a popular soft drink brand always came up with catchy jingles or phrases that spoke about friendship, hope and a better world. You have to make your content relatable and speak to your customers like humans.
2. Understand Your Audience: This is extremely important as it could land you in unwanted situations if not looked after. You cannot sell a knee cap to people suffering from arthritis by making a stand up comedy sketch on it. Your customers will be in the age bracket of 40-70 who won’t be as welcoming of comedy as a younger audience. Especially not when they are in pain!
3. Immediate Response: The current generation or the culture seeks for immediate gratification of needs. The last thing you should do is keep them waiting. Digitization has made the process of getting things done stress free and super quick. People’s patience levels have reduced to almost nothing so be sure to be available to them when they need you.
4. Empathize: While you might be in the money making business, real satisfaction comes only when you sold a product to a person who needed it most and benefited from it. Try to think from the point of view of your customer and understand what they want and why would they want this. Alter your product/service accordingly so they buy something that is of real value to the money they are paying.
5. Receive Feedback Gracefully: Hear your customer out and actually listen to each point they are complaining about or appreciating. Find out if these problems actually exist if you were not aware of them before. Don’t be defensive, be accepting. It is easy to blame others and think there is nothing wrong in your organisation. Choose the hard way. If you want to grow you need to be criticized, constructively.
6. Connect on Multiple Platforms: Don’t restrict your conversation with customers just to telephone calling or email marketing. Speak to them on all platforms. Build the voice of your brand through a social media profile and keep in touch with them by reminding them of events or discounts. The more available you are, the more interactive they are.
7. Earn Their Trust: It takes a long time for a person to trust anyone but themselves. A lot of pursuing and proving through actions leads them to believe in your product. If you are marketing extravagant and your product isn’t as extraordinary, they will never trust your brand. However, if you do gain their trust then your brand’s sales, goodwill and reputation will soar. Build a good brand rather than a big brand.
If you are successful in delighting your customer then the power of your marketing flywheel amplifies stronger. Openthrive has had an amazing experience placing our customers at the center. Our flywheel has never stopped rotating since.