The Octopus’ Garden

Sometimes I just don’t get it with people’s obsession with the latest electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) when the one they’re holding is a perfectly useful one.

Your smartphone, for one, is now more than just a phone and the things that you can do with it and what your phone can “become” will surprise you with the more than half a million apps available for it.

But the question is, have you actually made good use of the last shiny thing you bought just a few months ago? Or are you still using it like the good old Nokia 5110?

If you’re not exploiting it as you should, maybe all you need after all is just a simple phone.

We’ve seen this scene many times. A company makes a product or does a service and sells it to a customer for bucks, moving on to the next customer, and forgetting about the last. Who cares whether our customers are happy? Who cares as long as we’ve made a sale right? Sadly, this is a scenario that is more of a rule than an exception.

Nobody comes up with a perfect product of service, sure. But the least we can do is to be open about how exactly our customers are doing with regard to their experience so we can tweak our product better. They paid for it anyway. It’s a chance to show that it’s not all about just the sale but that we truly care. Seth Godin suggests that it could very simply start with one small but brave move by asking your customers, “How’d it work out?”

If you refuse to listen, if you refuse to better yourself, if you refuse to even consider whether your product is really relevant or not, if you refuse to acknowledge that your business is about the customer’s delight in the first place, then, what differentiates you from con artists? What differentiates you from businesses who rely on breakage and slippage?

Marketing and selling a product is just a first step (some say it should be the later). Delivering a delightful product and a service that leaves your customers breathless is another.

So, are you someone who would pay gladly for your own company’s product and still be happy with the post-sales experience? Would you care about YOUR own experience? If YOU won’t be your own customer, then it’s time for some introspection.

A friend, Estan Cabigas recently shared an interesting story about the PNR (Philippine National Railways) Bicol Express that reminded me of a trip I have yet to make. I’ve been planning to do that some time next year. I’m still hoping there’s a cargo hold somewhere that would allow me to bring my Vespa with me so I can better explore the local towns. The other way to go is go Vespa all the way but the experience would, of course, be different (though equally fun, I’m sure!). That deserves a plan of its own.

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It can never be underscored enough how important it is to get the right people for your organization and keep them there. This is an ongoing challenge that a lot of companies face regardless of industry. A lot are stuggling with it and a lot got burnt by it. A lot has already spoken and written about it but just the same, here’re a few insights that can get you started.

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