Listening to Voices
Welcome to the Why to Wow newsletter which is all about inspiring the hearts and minds of people worldwide with the Power of Differentiation. In the Why to Wow newsletter, I share my experiences over the last 40+ years helping leaders differentiate their brands and products. I hope it will inspire you to discover and share your own brand’s uniqueness with the world.
I hear voices. Voices of our clients’ customers, suppliers, employees, and community, often as my firm and I seek to discover our clients’ uniqueness. Sometimes, we hear from their unhappy customers, and surprisingly, that can be a huge positive. In this message, I provide guidance on how to listen to those voices to ensure your company can improve, but more importantly, how you should embrace what you are doing well. Here are three rules and one special kick in the you-know-what as a bonus to help you learn from the voices of those who know your brand.
Difference-maker #1: Read between the lines.
When reviewing customer feedback, pay attention to what is NOT said. Sure, a customer may wish your team responded faster or had an office in their city. But did they say your pricing was higher than the competition or that you weren’t worth it? If that’s the case, I suggest maybe you are under-charging.
Difference-maker #2: Look for emotions.
Even the calmest, Mister Spock-like customer may unleash a momentary expletive or show surprising emotion when discussing their experience with your brand. If you hear this from one customer out of twenty, I would not be concerned, but if there is a pattern of frustration regarding an issue, this is an opportunity to focus on. Even if they’re not logical, emotions tend to have a lot of weight; seriously consider them.
Difference-maker #3: Look for repetition.
Speaking of allowing customers to share their experience with you in their own words, look for the unique words or phrases they use. Are you described as “amazing” or “inspiring” or “acceptable” and “commonplace?” I interviewed employees and customers of a law firm. Lots of pablum were shared, such as “higher priced” and “stodgy,” until a couple of them used the word “bandwidth” to explain why the firm was able to command higher rates. It all came together. With its wide range of specialties, this firm could offer bandwidth to its clients, whether in real estate, intellectual property, employment, or other specialties. “Bandwidth” became part of their image and identity; it clearly articulated why they were an established (older) firm. They were the trusted experts to turn to no matter the challenge. That breakthrough came from listening to voices.
Bonus Difference-maker: And here’s the special bonus. Listen to what you should change or improve about your brand, but more than that, listen to what you should NOT change!
The problem with crazy, goofball, high-intensity entrepreneurial types (I’m guilty as charged) is that we want to know what needs to be changed NOW, and then we set out to make that happen NOW. There’s a massive problem with that because often, as we change a half-dozen things to improve our enterprise, we inadvertently end up changing a thing or two that was maybe the best thing we did.
So, the voice of the customer, employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders is precious. If you allow people to share their opinions in their own words, you can learn a lot about what you do that’s average or poor and should stop doing. And, just as strongly, you must also consider what you offer that employees and customers love and then protect and guard those things.
I had the pleasure of hosting Jason Lippert, CEO of Lippert Components, on the Difference Talks podcast. We had an enlightening conversation about his approach to company culture and how it’s not only differentiated his multi-billion-dollar company but reduced turnover and increased his team’s energy and passion. I invite you to listen to this motivational episode now. Listen to the conversation today.