Jens, your piece highlights an essential truth: customer value isn’t just a metric—it’s a philosophy. But here’s a perspective to take it even further: customer value doesn’t start with the customer—it starts with clarity about what your business uniquely brings to the table. The most successful companies understand their purpose so deeply that every interaction feels like an extension of that mission.
In one of my latest articles "Madiba’s Mountain", I reflected on building a life that honors what truly matters. The same principle applies to businesses: when you build with intention, rooted in authenticity, value flows naturally. It’s not just about listening to customers but about leading them, showing them something they didn’t know they needed while aligning with their deeper values.
You mention balancing "push" and "pull," which is critical, but what if we thought about “shared momentum”? Instead of campaigns that push or pull, create initiatives that align your business trajectory with your customer’s journey. It’s about co-creating value—helping customers succeed so deeply that their wins become your wins.
Customer value isn’t a project; it’s a partnership. The real question isn’t just what customers want today, but how your vision helps shape the value they’ll need tomorrow. Burn on! 🔥
I've never been a fan of CSAT and NPS - it's easier for the client, but you rarely get good answers that you can use to improve. I like your framework and have tried something similar, but it's still hard to stick with this approach as it requires a lot more time to prepare and follow up.
Thanks Andreas! It depends a bit on the context, but a light-touch version of the above process could involve something as simple a face-to-face conversation between customers and a few members of your leadership team and key staff.
You might want to try incentivising people to come along even. Paying for their dinner and drinks should do the trick and it might help get more candid responses compared to what a customer would be prepared to say in a recorded CSAT / NPS survey.
Thanks for your comment! It was a bit of a trick question on my part! The title of the post alludes to Peter Drucker's famous quote: "Management is about doing things right, and leadership is doing the right things".
Across different business disciplines, there's usually a debate between doing strategic vs tactical things. Both are needed, and to relate this story back to the world of customers, what can easily be forgotten in both of these cases is whether any of the different activities are actually solving for the customer's actual needs.
Jens, your piece highlights an essential truth: customer value isn’t just a metric—it’s a philosophy. But here’s a perspective to take it even further: customer value doesn’t start with the customer—it starts with clarity about what your business uniquely brings to the table. The most successful companies understand their purpose so deeply that every interaction feels like an extension of that mission.
In one of my latest articles "Madiba’s Mountain", I reflected on building a life that honors what truly matters. The same principle applies to businesses: when you build with intention, rooted in authenticity, value flows naturally. It’s not just about listening to customers but about leading them, showing them something they didn’t know they needed while aligning with their deeper values.
You mention balancing "push" and "pull," which is critical, but what if we thought about “shared momentum”? Instead of campaigns that push or pull, create initiatives that align your business trajectory with your customer’s journey. It’s about co-creating value—helping customers succeed so deeply that their wins become your wins.
Customer value isn’t a project; it’s a partnership. The real question isn’t just what customers want today, but how your vision helps shape the value they’ll need tomorrow. Burn on! 🔥
Great comment, Roman! Thanks for sharing. I think that's right and and the co-creation idea adds an interesting perspective.
To some extent, it's not the customers job to know what they want, and this is where vision and customer leadership come into play.
I've never been a fan of CSAT and NPS - it's easier for the client, but you rarely get good answers that you can use to improve. I like your framework and have tried something similar, but it's still hard to stick with this approach as it requires a lot more time to prepare and follow up.
Do you see a way to simplify this?
Thanks Andreas! It depends a bit on the context, but a light-touch version of the above process could involve something as simple a face-to-face conversation between customers and a few members of your leadership team and key staff.
You might want to try incentivising people to come along even. Paying for their dinner and drinks should do the trick and it might help get more candid responses compared to what a customer would be prepared to say in a recorded CSAT / NPS survey.
Those are good points - thank you. The dinner is a great idea!
best approach is to do the right things right ;-)
Thanks for your comment! It was a bit of a trick question on my part! The title of the post alludes to Peter Drucker's famous quote: "Management is about doing things right, and leadership is doing the right things".
Across different business disciplines, there's usually a debate between doing strategic vs tactical things. Both are needed, and to relate this story back to the world of customers, what can easily be forgotten in both of these cases is whether any of the different activities are actually solving for the customer's actual needs.
I second your view on both levels, tactical and strategic are needed. And of course, it all must happen through the lens of a customer.
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Thanks very much for the vote of confidence Tobias!