Understanding The Customer

Who can survive without a customer? Well…

This is is why it is imperative for organizations to find ways to
delight and continuously satisfy their customers.

In our past article, Service That Sells, we saw that customer care
is key to building customer loyalty. Here, we will discuss the
customers’ changing values and attitudes to be effectively give
them that care.

First, we have to understand that values are not quantities of
something; nor are they advantages or disadvantages of
alternatives. Values are not tastes and preferences of customers,
instead, it’s their values that form customers’ opinions, influence
their decisions, and motivate their actions – to purchase your
product or not.

So, what are these factors that affect customers’ values?

FAMILY AND CHILDHOOD. Let’s face it, from the time we were
born to our teens, our parents tried to mold us according to what
they perceive as good for us. Thus, we are no longer a “blank”
slate but thinking human beings, judging mostly according to how
we were brought up.

CULTURE. If a human being is molded by his family, a family is
molded by culture among others. As to be socially accepted, as
the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

RELIGION. This is one aspect where people in society takes a
turn. Each religion has various practices. Say, some sectors
forbid the human consumption of pork; therefore, their decisions
in purchasing are also affected.

NORMS AND TRADITIONS. If you examine each country, notice
the differences in holidays? This is part of tradition. Each country
has their own kind of celebration and reverence. So if we align
our campaigns with consideration to their “norms” then we would
be able to maximize our gains.

PEER PRESSURE. Be it at school or at work, peer pressure
contribute to customers values. If you say no when everybody
says yes, you will be left out in the cold. To be part of a group,
you need to wear the same colors.

MASS MEDIA. Technology has contributed a great deal to
influence people. Many times, mass media dictates on what is
fashionable and acceptable. So, imagine if your business is
strategically supported by this element?!


Almost everybody knows multiplication, but only few could
multiply without using tools. The point is, once you get to
understand your customers’ values, you have taken that valuable
first step in pumping blood to your business.

“You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion
and get all kinds of press… but if you don’t deliver the goods,
people will eventually catch on.” - Donald Trump

Take note... "To effectively understand the customer, be unselfish."

Core Management Skills II

Here now are the last two core management skills...

TECHNICAL SKILLS. These are your specialized skills, which
are useful to you in understanding various types of jobs that are
done under you and why things operate as they do.

While your employees need these skills in order to successfully
do their job and complete their tasks, you need these skills in
order to guide, assist, and coach your people in doing their job.

Technical skills are particularly important in supervising
employees who are unfamiliar with their job or present assignment.
Yet superior or above average technical skills can sometimes
become a disadvantage for managers. It might make them set
unrealistic standards for their people (i.e., "asking if I can do it,
why can't they", "forgetting the preparation time and experience
they have had", etc.), be impatient with their people, or focus on
"doing" instead of managing.

Nevertheless, if you are in transition, make sure you learn the
ropes and understand the process the soonest. Remember?
Experience is just repetition. Familiarity is a matter of exposure.
It's high learning ability that really counts.

ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS. The skills involved here are the
functional abilities of a manager: planning, organizing, and
controlling work in one's unit, section or division. It also includes
skills in problem analysis and decision making.

Your ability to use your administrative skills effectively is based
on your knowledge about the organization as a whole and how
the different units are related to and depend on each other.

A manager who has administrative skills has the ability to
achieve his goals within the bounds of organizational constraints
and its policies and procedures. This means that the manager...
understands his job, understands his subordinates' jobs, takes
immediate action... does not ignore problems, follows up on
promises, gets tough when necessary, and assures that the next
in command knows his role and has the authority to act.


In all these, even if your core management skills are tops, if you
do not have the guts to disengage from the status quo... you can
not be that great power.

"A public opinion poll is no substitute for thought."
- Warren Buffet

Take note... "There's no end to learning... and in this case,
courage, proactiveness, and high learning ability is what really
matters specially for managers."