The Virtual CMO Podcast

Season 7, Episode 9

In episode 109, host Eric Dickmann interviews Erik Newton. Erik currently serves as the Vice President of Milestone Inc., a digital marketing software and services company, and has recently published a management and self-development book, called- “Hack the Corporate Fast Track.” Milestone Internet Marketing Inc. aims to organize and amplify digital information to reach the right audience through digital media advertising, social media. SEO, and analytics. Erik is a prolific writer with more than 175 blogs to his credit. You can connect with Erik on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Why Does a Business Need to be Customer-Obsessed?

Being customer-obsessed means taking the time to really understand what people expect from your brand. It starts from taking small actions that can bring joy to your clients and making your services more accessible and convenient. Being customer-obsessed can create a stream of repeat customers because they feel that your treatment is getting better every transaction. A simple trick to level up your customer experience is giving clients more than they expect. It’s managing expectations in a way that positions your business to exceed them and delight your customers. Being customer-obsessed starts with a leader’s mentality, which then trickles down to the team and is then reflected in the quality of service. Some ways to incorporate customer obsession into the business:

• Ensure that your team understands the value of customer focus
• Campaigns and policies should be customized to customer’s needs
• Predict the future needs of customers

What Does Customer-Obsessed Mean?

Customer obsession is adding value to the customer experience. Because you care about your customers, you find ways to serve them better. Customer-obsessed companies prioritize retention over acquisition. Instead of thinking of ways to attract new leads and attract ideal prospects, customer-obsessed companies take a more methodical approach by establishing personal bonds with their existing customers. Customer retention is significantly cheaper than customer acquisition. Are you customer-obsessed? Here are some qualities to see if you are:

• Aligns every strategy with customer success
• Promotes proactive customer service
• Believes in quality over quantity
• Carefully observes customer routines

Highlights from Our Conversation with Erik:

“You know, the customer's not always right, but they're usually right because they're the customer, they have an expectation. And most of the responsibility is on us to align to that expectation and to keep it right for them."

• [00:00:50] What do you think is the state of customers today with most businesses?-  If you want to become profitable and successful, you can't go wrong with being customer-obsessed. Being customer-obsessed is putting the customer above everything else.
• [00:03:17] Don't give your customers homework- When interacting with a prospect or customer, don't make them feel that you're giving them homework.
• [00:06:11] TEAM- TEAM- Track, Engage, Appreciate, Mobilize. The first step to solving customer dissatisfaction is getting more customer-obsessed and figuring out what data you're supposed to pay attention to.
• [00:07:48] Know what you are tracking- A business needs to know what it's tracking. Are your customers buying more stuff from you? If you're a store, are they coming back to your store? If you're a service provider, are they extending their contracts?
• [00:10:36] E for Engage- Try to engage with them using high-quality content (blogs, vlogs, podcasts)
• [00:14:06] How to become customer-obsessed- Take the time to reach out to your customers and know what you could do to make them feel more comfortable. Getting first-hand feedback is more precise than quantitative surveys.
• [00:17:53] A for Appreciate- If you are going to be in front of customers, focus on them and give them all the attention they need.
• [00:21:53] – There are many ways to show appreciation- There are many ways to make your customers feel valued. You can do this by helping prospects build their email list, introducing them to new people to work with, or even sending over informational materials about particular subjects of interest.
• [00:24:55] You can't miss deadlines-  It is essential for businesses to always be on time when meeting with customers or prospects.
• [00:25:53] M is for Make Good-  If something is broken, give them something extra. Making good is recognizing customers' pain points and doing what you can to make their journey much bearable and enjoyable.
• 00:27:52] The importance of pre-action-Pre-act to reduce the potential damage. If you feel that your business has served customers well, you can ask them to leave an online review on G2, Trust Radius, or Clutch.

Customer-Obsessed and Other Resources Mentioned

• Milestone Internet Marketing Inc.- Company Website

Live Stream on YouTube