Wanted: One Perfect Customer
Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.Steve Jobs
You can sell expertise. You cannot sell trust. You must earn it and work hard to keep it. But once a management team has proven themselves to their customers, if they were to write a job description for the perfect customer, I am sure it would read:
Wanted: One Perfect Customer
One customer who allows their vendors the opportunity to earn their place at the table and once they are seated, treats them as a trusted advisor and willing to take their advice.
One customer who sees their vendors as true partners and equals on a shared journey.
One customer who is realistic and very clear about what they expect and what they expect is doable.
One customer who empowers their vendors by educating them on the real challenges their organization faces and allows their vendors to offer solutions.
One customer who gives their vendors the opportunity to present solutions to problems they may not have realized they even had.
One customer who is aware and understands their own strengths and weaknesses. They play to their strengths. They ask for assistance with their weaknesses.
One customer committed and passionate about the work being done and recognizes it takes time and effort to get results.
One customer who is enthusiastic and excited about their vendor’s effort and their results.
One customer who is engaged by being actively involved and asking and answering questions.
One customer who communicates and gives their vendor the information they need to do the job they have been hired to do.
One customer who is fair and willing to pay an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, in a timely manner.
One customer who when there is a gap between what is expected and what is delivered gives their vendor the opportunity to make it right.
One customer who is appreciative and grateful for their vendor’s contribution.
Wanted: One Perfect Customer. If found, together we (customer and vendor) will become more than either thought possible.
To read other articles in our “Wanted” series:
Wanted: One Hard-Working Employee
Wanted: One Good-Natured Colleague
Wanted: One Good-Hearted Manager