BUSINESS
BUILDING LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Compiled by Tarren Bolton
Customer-centric businesses who
provide a positive experience both
before and after the sale, can mean
the difference between a one-off
sale and a returning, loyal customer.
“I
t is the customer who
determines what a business is,
what it produces, and whether it
will prosper.” Peter Drucker’s emphatic
words from his 1954 book, The Practice
of Management, highlight the hard-
nosed importance of understanding
customers — of being knowledgeably
customer-centric. Isn’t it profound how
correct and visionary Drucker was
www.plantonline.co.za
when he called out the customer as the
lynchpin of business success — and
this over 60 years ago?
Customer-centricity ultimately allows
marketing and sales to understand who
is important in making the decision, what
they care about, and — most importantly
— how to position your company’s
offerings in a way that can help them.
If you cannot make the conversation all
about your customer, then what is the
point?
Plant Equipment & Hire takes a
look at three companies who have
embraced customer-centricity by offering
transparency in both their pre-purchase
and post-purchase processes. They are all
wholly aware of their customers’ priorities
and trends, and are able to fully and truly
appreciate their customers’ challenges.
JANUARY 2019
27