“Before all else listen. The pathway to change is through relationships, and you can’t form a relationship if you’re not at eye level.”
These are the words of Tim Shriver, Chairman & Chief Executive, Special Olympics. He was featured today in “The Boss”, a regular column in Sunday’s NY Times Business section. In talking about the start of his career he states: “I probably started my career on a big white horse, thinking that I was a social change agent. The kids (who he taught in an after school program) taught me a fundamental lesson: Get off the horse.
Interesting how things come around. His words from many years ago, you can’t forge a relationship if you’re not at eye level, describe perfectly the changing nature of the relationship between customers and companies.
Today, eye level translates to:
• understanding customers and their pain points
• letting go of control (actually, realizing your not in control)
• providing content and experiences that help them do more and achieve more
• responding with real time customer service and support
• being the conduit for customer conversations with others who have similar interests and needs
• actions that build transparency and trust
Are you at “eye level” with your customers?
Great piece thanks. Your prescience around being at “eye level” really resonates with me.
Eight months ago, we completed thirty in-depth interviews with small and midsize VP and C-level executives who buy branding from brand experts and agencies. They reported that brand development was too complicated, too expensive, and too slow. Quite a few had some seriously disparaging things to say about arrogance in our profession. These conversations affirmed my suspicion that branding needs to change. I’m now looking at my customers at “eye level” and from that perspective I have learned that they want brands that are more sincere than sophisticated, more authentic than perfect. I’m happy to report that it’s a great level to be.
Thank you for your comments. Very much appreciate you visiting and for taking the time to share. I applaud you for reaching out to your audiences to understand their perceptions about our “branding” work. We did the same a few years ago. Great start to being able to get to “eye level” (the exact same thing we ask our clients to do vis-a-vis their audiences). Regards, Eric
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Words to live by for healthcare brand marketers: working at eye level [link to post]
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RT @ericbrody: Words to live by for healthcare brand marketers: working at eye level [link to post]
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Eric,
Thanks for sharing this. I couldn’t agree more. Listening—is so key! I emphasize to each of our clients that while we are not the experts in their business (they are), we are EXPERT LISTENERS. The value we deliver resides in our ability to process client input, identify pain points, and then respond in a timely manner with creative solutions that solve problems in measurable ways.
At Creative Intelligence, we solve business problems by design. We came to the realization some time ago that, although there needs to be a branding process to guide the intake, analysis, and design development, the over-thought and highly intricate proprietary methodologies and branding flow charts in use by many branding agencies today seem to have morphed more into tools meant to impress clients with their technical expertise in managing a “highly complex branding process” and as a means for justifying high fee structures. These efforts are backfiring and meeting with increased client push-back. We find what clients are more interested in working with branding/design firms that will take time to listen an then deliver well-thought-out brand strategies with honest and sincere executions that flow consistently through both the visual and experiential expressions.
Keep up the good word,
Flay