Be a Pleasure or get Kicked to the Curb!
Let’s take a look at your relationship with your customers. Bottom line, you are either: A pleasure to deal with, something they tolerate, or well on your way to getting kicked to the curb.
My favorite example of business is a very simple (but elegant) product called: Skitch.
Why? It is one of the few applications, products, or processes that I deal with that is an absolute pleasure to deal with. I love it.
As I came to realize this, it hit me: This is what business should be. Not just your UI. not just your products. In should include your Sales process, your contracts, renewals, your services, billing, human resources for new and current staff.
It encompasses EVERYTHING!
Whatever it is you do, stop looking at a spreadsheet of features and benefits. Skitch could NEVER hold it’s own against Adobe’s Creative Suite, or even free tools like Gimp or Inkscape. But SO WHAT?!?! It does what it does well, and I LOVE DOING IT!
Look at your financials, look at your roadmaps, and your service comparisons. But don’t lose these questions as you do:
- Who are our audiences? (All of them! Staff, customers, Investors)
- What are our touch points (All of them! billing, sales, support, product, etc.)
- IS IT A PLEASURE for our audiences to interact with us?
If not, it’s just a matter of time until someone sexier comes in the door, or some issue becomes bad enough… Then off to the curb you go.
