Four Reasons Why “The Customer Comes First” Is an Essential Directive

You’ve heard it all of your life. From fast food chains to big-name retail establishments, businesses around in the world and across myriad industry niches know that to keep afloat, keep competitive and keep a solid bottom line, catering to the customer is key. Whether you’re behind the helm of a B2B or B2C company, one thing is for sure: Considering the end user of your products or services is a directive you can’t afford to neglect. Here are four reasons why.

1. A strong customer focus builds trust. Shoppers naturally gravitate toward brands that make it clear they keep their customers top-of-mind. From carefully designed packaging to giveaways and promotions, there are plenty of ways you can put an extra level of care and attention into your offerings. As you do so, you’re helping to bridge the gap between the purchaser and the supplier and that’s a critical first step in establishing their long-term trust. Part of the reason this tactic is so successful is that regardless of industry, it’s almost impossible to totally eliminate the element of emotion from the act of buying. We’re drawn to packaging colors that entice us, fonts that intrigue us, and symbols that elicit positive feelings or memories within us. This is what’s known as an emotional purchase, and appealing to this side of consumer behavior helps to keep you at the forefront of their minds, both now and in the future.

2. Customer appeal is a stronger driving factor than price. Sure, there are some situations in which two products are virtually the exact same and which one wins out will ultimately come down to price. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that most shoppers will choose a product or service that appeals to them directly, regardless of the price tag attached. That explains why, even amid scores of generic options, brand-name products still continue to reign supreme, as those names and symbols are etched in our memories and psyches. Even if you can’t compete strongly on price point (especially if you’re a startup or SMB trying to maximize every dollar), you can compete on emotional pull. By focusing on what customers want and what will appeal to their emotions, you can still win out in the end.

3. People love to talk about the products they love. Recent research reveals that people trust online recommendations from total strangers just as much as they trust word-of-mouth reviews from their friends and family members. As such, if the element of appeal is strong enough, the effect won’t just end once the purchase is complete. Rather, that person will tell others, or hop online to leave your brand a review. Thus begins the powerful chain of influence that ultimately brings more positive attention to your company and helps you grow your community of followers. As emotional appeals are often stronger and longer-lasting than others, chances are high that you’ll grow your sphere quicker than you thought possible. You may think that your selling point should be on quality alone and that at the end of the day, your products will speak for themselves without any emotional attachment necessary. Yet, remember the comparison between generic and brand-name products? Most contain the same ingredients and work the exact same way, but there’s a reason we’re drawn to the things we know and trust. If you can be that brand for someone, they’ll tell others and that’s how a household name is built.

Keeping your customers first shouldn’t be an optional initiative for any smart business owner. You can have the best offering in the world but if you aren’t enticing shoppers to pull it off the shelf and give it a chance, then all of your marketing efforts could be rendered useless. It’s worth the time, energy and resources it takes to analyze your target audience, determine their preferences, and design your products around them. It’s a small step that could pay off big in the end.