The Customer Is Always Right

There used to be an old adage, “The customer is always right.” This slogan was widely used by some of America’s top retail executives, including Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker, and Marshall Field. As an entrepreneur, you might be so focused on your idea that you forget the customer and their needs. Whether you work as a sales associate or you’re an entrepreneur, you ultimately have one boss: the customer.

Some people go into entrepreneurship with the idea that they won’t have to deal with a cranky, uptight boss anymore. The belief that entrepreneurship is free of accountability is misguided at best, and it might even be delusional. When it comes down to it, every business owner needs to meet the needs of the customer if they’re going to succeed.

In some organizations, there are constant battles between the sales staff and those who are so far removed from customer service that they can’t remember when they last interacted with one of their company’s clients. A great product manager will listen to user feedback. They’ll also listen to what sales associates report from their customer interactions.

Consider computer programming and website design. Many developers love the challenge of creating a technically advanced feature. It might be neat and lauded by other developers, but the actual consumers who interact with the site might not benefit from it. Entrepreneurs need to focus on the reason why they’re creating a product or service. Neglecting the customer’s needs and preferences could end up being a costly mistake.

After some success in entrepreneurship, some people feel like they already know what their customer wants. After all, it worked once. However, this type of attitude can quickly lead to poor customer service and a drop in sales. A company might not survive a sales slump for long, especially if there’s a competitor to pick up the slack.

Entrepreneurs who serve consumers, as well as those in the B2B arena, must be dedicated to listening to their customers. New products or features should offer a meaningful value to the person who’s buying it. When customers provide feedback, entrepreneurs need to give it serious consideration. With social media, it only takes one complaint post for a company to end up with a major reputation problem. As an entrepreneur, a clear benefit you have is flexibility. With no layers of management above you, it’s possible to directly act on customer feedback. You don’t need anybody’s approval to make a change to your business plan or the way you handle customer issues.

You might think that as an entrepreneur, you can’t get fired. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Every day, entrepreneurs and small business owners have to shut down because of dissatisfied customers. If you don’t listen to legitimate concerns and take decisive action to address them, you could lose out on sales. Also, keep in mind that the customer’s needs could change. What worked two years ago maybe 100% different than what your customers need today.