I love the premise from Steve Yastrow’s recently-published book, WE: The Ideal Customer Relationship. In the opening chapter, Yastrow writes …
Relationships have become powerful differentiators. Customers can’t tell if your product is better than your competitor’s product, but they can tell if they have a better relationship with you than with your competitor.If relationships are such powerful differentiators, what is the most productive, profitable, and sustainable relationship?
The We relationship.
In a We relationship, you think less about what separates you and more about what intertwines you.
In contrast, if your customer’s view of your relationship is not “We” but “Us & Them,” he will focus more on what he can get from you—and on what he believes you get from him—and less on how you can collaborate to reach your goals together.
[Steve Yastrow, SOURCE]
For those needing to see this premise in a chart, peep the following from pg. 13 of WE: The Ideal Customer Relationship ...
Most people do not know how to change to doing things WITH the customer. The products are not based on that- yet. I think we will see changes in product offers so that doing things WITH the customer can be incorporated.
Dr. Wright
Wright Place TV Show
www.twitter.com/drwright1
www.wrightplacetv.com
Posted by: Dr. Wright | May 10, 2008 at 10:27 AM
John -
Thank you for your comments on We. I have become 100% convinced that a relationship can differentiate in a way a product, service or (of course) an ad never can. "They make a great product" can't hold a candle to "We have a great connection."
Steve
Posted by: Steve Yastrow | May 11, 2008 at 09:20 PM
John:
Thanks for sharing this - I am working on a model of brand participation - and I think this will be an emerging field of study for marketing. Great stuff.
TO'B
Posted by: Tom O'Brien | May 15, 2008 at 03:05 PM