The foundation of Hunter is this simple truth:  success in business today is all about the customer relationship.  Our marketplace economic model is maturing.

Think about it, product differentiation has become more and more difficult with the rapid advent of technology; ease of reproduction; and pervasiveness of process improvement techniques.  Marketing awareness and visibility can’t do the trick anymore, with the ubiquitous internet delivering every competitive offering to our customers’ fingertips and moving the control of the message to the customer. 

So, what’s left?  The experience!

The advent of the experience is easy to understand at a personal level.  For example, my mother is 60+ years old, and has always loved her birthday.  For years, she would give us her 30-day-countdown so we could plan gifts.  However, in the last few years, she’s moved away from gifts and started to ask for dinners, trips, outings. In other words, experiences.  The blandness of “stuff” has no appeal anymore and she is in rabid pursuit of the experience.  The treasure is in the relationship.

 It’s not so different in the business world, except for what we might be looking for in the experience.  While Mom wants to be wined and dined, the business customer expreience tends to have some other desired elements often built around the relationship:

Reduction in customer effort:  an experience in which the supplier / partner goes beyond delivering a product as a vendor and reduces the actual workload and effort of the customer.  Responsiveness; rapid resolution of issues; communications; and ease of doing business are common attributes of reduction in customer effort.

Valued advisor: an experience in which the supplier / partner demonstrates a deep understanding of the customer business and needs and provides pro-active, thoughtful recommendations and advice to advance customer business goals.  Innovation; mastery; and commitment to industry expertise are hallmarks of the valued advisor.

Adaptability and flexibility:  an experience in which the supplier / partner demonstrates a business model which accommodates the ability to adapt to evolving customer needs and circumstances.  This is frequently considered by customers as the ultimate customer experience, as it puts the supplier / partner on the same side of the table addressing the same dynamic challenges as the customer.  Customization; willingness to go the “extra mile”; and flexibility to meet changing market conditions are frequently referenced here.

I look forward to talking more in a future update on how to better understand your customer experience needs and enable better ability to deliver on those expectations.