Customer Focus

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton

Customer Focus Overview

All businesses and most organizations have customers. Within an organization the leader may also have internal customers that they serve. Customers are the lifeblood of a business and it is critical that businesses and organizations focus on their customers’ needs. Customer focus is defined as an individual or organizational orientation toward satisfying the needs of potential and existing customers.

Why Customer Focus is Important to a Leader

Leaders must be proactive in creating a customer-focus culture. All team members should understand the importance of providing quality products or services to a customer and being responsive to their needs. To succeed in being customer focused, the leader must listen to customers and know what their needs are and strive to meet them. Leaders must also develop methods to ensure that they know how customers perceive their business or organization.

Benefits for the Leader

Leaders who are customer-focused will have a strong platform on which to help grow their business. Knowing what the customer needs and how they perceive your goods and services give you the information needed to build a customer-focused culture across the business or organization.

Top 3 Coaches Recommendations for Customer Focus

Develop a list of questions for your customer that would stimulate a discussion regarding their level of satisfaction. After developing this list, assess how much information you already know and identify your next steps in confirming it as well as seeking out more information.
Work to foster a culture in your team that strives to not only meet but to exceed customer expectations.
Be responsive to customers. If you make a promise to a customer, always ensure that you fulfill the promise.

Measure and Improve Your Customer Focus Skills

Be determined to improve your customer focus skills and behaviors. Take the short customer focus self-assessment on this page to identify where to improve your customer focus skills and behaviors. Then, get more coaches’ recommendations in Chapter 13 of The Leadership Compass: Mapping Your Leadership Direction to help you fine-tune your customer focus skills and behaviors.

Related Competencies:

Inspiration, Motivation, Business Development, Negotiation, Integrity, Communication

Self-Assessment

Customer Focus

Measure your customer focus skills and behaviors!

Select your level of agreement with each statement in the self-assessment.
When answering the questions, consider how others might evaluate your customer focus skills.