How to Develop Customer Insight
Research your client carefully., Look closely at the customer's current business situation., Understand the corporate culture of your client., Structure your communications according to the client's preferences., Ask rather than assume.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Research your client carefully.
Learn all you can about the history of the customer's business operation, including the product lines.
Seeing how the business evolved over the years will often provide some understandings into how your client's current standards and practices came to be, and provide some basis for projecting where the company will move next. -
Step 2: Look closely at the customer's current business situation.
Customer insight also involves having an accurate perception of what is happening with your client right now.
Knowledge of this type can often help pave the way for conversations on how your products can help with some sort of ongoing project or initiative, possibly triggering ideas that had not occurred to your customer before.
In doing so, the rapport between customer and provider is strengthened, allowing the 2 to function as partners in a sense. , True customer insight means learning how the client functions internally and how your contacts prefer to interact with those outside the company structure.
This will help you avoid mistakes that could undermine the relationship.
For example, knowing that the client forbids its employees from accepting a gratuity of any kind from a vendor, even a gift at holiday times, will make it easier to show your appreciation in ways that are considered acceptable. , Some customers like phone calls to follow up on recent orders, while others consider vendor calls the bane of their existence.
If your client prefers to go with email communications for the most part, with only the occasional site visit or telephone call, then set up a contact schedule that makes the most of those preferences.
Doing so inspires good feelings and will more likely result in providing an open line of communication that benefits both parties. , Don't take anything for granted when it comes to what your client wants or needs.
Even if something was desirable 6 months ago, things may have changed and now some other concept would be more appealing.
When communicating with clients, ask questions that require something other than a simple yes or no response, so you can collect more data that ultimately allows more insight into what your client is thinking right this minute. -
Step 3: Understand the corporate culture of your client.
-
Step 4: Structure your communications according to the client's preferences.
-
Step 5: Ask rather than assume.
Detailed Guide
Learn all you can about the history of the customer's business operation, including the product lines.
Seeing how the business evolved over the years will often provide some understandings into how your client's current standards and practices came to be, and provide some basis for projecting where the company will move next.
Customer insight also involves having an accurate perception of what is happening with your client right now.
Knowledge of this type can often help pave the way for conversations on how your products can help with some sort of ongoing project or initiative, possibly triggering ideas that had not occurred to your customer before.
In doing so, the rapport between customer and provider is strengthened, allowing the 2 to function as partners in a sense. , True customer insight means learning how the client functions internally and how your contacts prefer to interact with those outside the company structure.
This will help you avoid mistakes that could undermine the relationship.
For example, knowing that the client forbids its employees from accepting a gratuity of any kind from a vendor, even a gift at holiday times, will make it easier to show your appreciation in ways that are considered acceptable. , Some customers like phone calls to follow up on recent orders, while others consider vendor calls the bane of their existence.
If your client prefers to go with email communications for the most part, with only the occasional site visit or telephone call, then set up a contact schedule that makes the most of those preferences.
Doing so inspires good feelings and will more likely result in providing an open line of communication that benefits both parties. , Don't take anything for granted when it comes to what your client wants or needs.
Even if something was desirable 6 months ago, things may have changed and now some other concept would be more appealing.
When communicating with clients, ask questions that require something other than a simple yes or no response, so you can collect more data that ultimately allows more insight into what your client is thinking right this minute.
About the Author
Kathryn Fox
A passionate writer with expertise in cooking topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: