I received a message from a credit card company that I owed them 240 Pounds in charges. This was after I had settled the full amount on the card. I called up the customer services to enquire where the amount came from, even though the full balance was settled. The lady on the phone explained that it was interest, so my payment must have gone to them just after the day they calculate the interest on the card.
I asked for the possibility of the amount being waived, knowing I was a very loyal customer and have been paying all my bills. The lady explained that, if they did that for all customers they will not be making a lot of money and she said, “all customers need to be treated fairly”.
I made that phone call for myself not on behalf of all their customers, why is she answering as if she is speaking to all her customers?
I believe that is the most misconception businesses make about their customers. They focus on treating the customer fairly, not as an individual. She offered a call back from a team leader in a few days. I got a callback and the amount was waived.
I acted there out of principle because I believed I needed to be treated as an individual, not fairly. The only way a business can treat its customers fairly is by treating them as individuals. In this case when I say, customers, I mean its Staff, Suppliers, investors and those that use its products or services.
We are constantly communicating with people from all around the world, but some businesses still miss out on opportunities because they don’t take the time to understand the customers.
We live in a very diverse world, where every business can go global in seconds with the use of the internet and modern technology. We are constantly communicating with people from all around the world, but some businesses still miss out on opportunities because they don’t take the time to understand the customers.
Being from Africa, I was having a conversation with a friend about investors who are interested in investing in Africa, but because the risks are high due to a few factors, and also many small businesses don’t keep their books in order (making it hard to calculate and forecast financial growth), so much is being left on the table. Taking time to understand the people a little more will change the perception, and systems can be created to protect the investments. This is what we are currently working on.
We might have the same business but what will differentiate you from the others is your personal story.
I am a father of identical twins. They are so physically: that is, they look the same and medically identical, as a single fertilized egg would split and developed into two embryos. They also share the same placenta. Enough of the medical studies and back to business. What I am trying to say here is, that is the closest we get to duplicating a human being, but even in that case, my boys are totally different in behaviours. They may look exactly the same, but they are very different. It is important that we take time to know and grow ourselves. We might have the same business but what will differentiate you from the others is your personal story. Like McDonald’s or Burger King; they all sell some kinds of burgers, but their individual story is what makes them different and they appeal to different customer needs.
As an International Transformational Speaker / Corporate MC, Mentor and author of the book The Seasons of life, after speaking and mentoring people around the world from Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom I understand the power of being ME. That has been the largest asset for my growth and I believe, if we focus on growing ourselves and not trying to be like anyone else, our business will also grow. I have been invited to speak on the big stages with world-class speakers just because I have been able to leverage the power of me which creates value and attracts opportunities.
In my book The Seasons of Life, I talk about the different seasons we go through and there is great power in understanding our personal season. The economy might be in a bad state, but you need to look at what individual season you are in; should you be sowing or harvesting? It is important we check that.
As you run your business, you need to understand the difference between being fair and treating your employees, suppliers, customers, and investors as individuals. You have to change your perspective and not generalise. There is power in being truly YOU.
Take time to fully understand YOU.
Travel and don’t just have fun or do business, take time to understand people and their cultures.
Make decisions based not only on the content but also the context.
More Info: www.thevictor.co.uk
