They tell you to obsess over your customers,
They tell you the crazy benefits.
What they don’t tell you…the costs.
‘Everything comes at a cost’.
Important…hence a cliche…hence ignored.
If you don’t prioritize your customers, you find it easier to build and follow systems.
You get to scale quickly within a short span.
But you start getting negative press.
You’ve to hustle against negative market sentiment.
You miss out on customer loyalty.
That’s the cost.
Eg: There’s a plethora of companies that run this way…you know the names.
If you obsess over your customers, you build reverence.
You benefit from an enviable customer loyalty.
You get a consistent flow of referrals.
But you struggle with an unending to-do list full of frivolous & avoidable things.
You prioritize the customer’s interest over yours, in case of a conflict.
You find it difficult to scale fast.
You will be taken advantage of.
That’s the cost.
Eg: Zappos, Ritz Carlton, TOMS, etc.
Then there is the middle ground.
Where you work with a customer-obsessed approach within a set of boundaries.
Eg: Amazon
(Note: We’re talking very broad, not covering the predatory, anti-competitive practices here.)
Easier said than done.
Which is why you rarely come across such brands.
It takes a long time to figure things out.
Sometimes you do, but mostly you don’t.
It’s long, painful and exhausting.
The question is – Is it worth it?
Difficult to say because there are takers for each of these approaches.
Each of them with valid reasons.
Business is a business, not charity.
Yet, it’s also true that the business is run by the customers.
The owners only manage it.
Where do you draw the line then?
It’s difficult.
There is no right or wrong.
It’s all gray.
Does that mean the middle path is safe?
Well, what seems safe is rarely so.
The list of what goes on behind-the-scenes, the cost the founders have had to pay (Tony Hsieh, Bezos, Musk, etc.), and their personal struggles is a long one.
There is a cost to everything.
How do you navigate this?
Revisit your intent.
Why did you/want to start the business?
Are your goals aligning with your mission?
Are your wants lining up in the direction opposite to your needs?
Are they aligned with ‘the’ intent?
There will be a cost, so you must be clear.
There is no right, there is no wrong.
It comes down to your ‘why’.
You better know it.
After all, informed pessimism/optimism is better than an uninformed one.