Four Truths of Customer Intelligence

Last week, I discussed four powerful business myths, and why to steer clear of them. Releasing ourselves from the grip of these powerful myths requires that we embrace four truths of Customer Intelligence:

Truth #1

The customer is the heart and soul of every business, the source of all revenues and profits.

Truth #2

Creating and maintaining long-lasting, profitable relationships with our customers is therefore the most important thing we as business owners, leaders, and managers can do.

Truth #3

Creating and using knowledge about our customers is the single best, most cost-effective way to create, maintain, and increase the value of our customer relationships; when we do this, we are using true Customer Intelligence in our organizations.

Truth #4

True Customer Intelligence is achieved only when all of the tools, people, and processes across the organization are coordinated and focused on the customer and act in concert to maximize customer value. Customer Intelligence is exponentially more effective when it is used throughout the organization: across every functional silo, at every level of the organizational hierarchy. However, waiting to change our organizations from top to bottom is neither necessary nor desirable: taking customer intelligent action whenever and wherever we can is, and organizational change will follow.