The Importance of Creating Partnerships with Customers

Your customers don't want to be treated like a commodity

By Spider Graham

Last year, after getting laid off from my long time day job, I decided that I needed to get back into the mix and started working with a few different recruiters to find something that would suit my experience and ambitions.

One of the recruiters I worked with met briefly with me to discuss my bonafides for a training role he was looking to fill. We discussed what I could bring to the table along with my rate and he seemed pretty positive we could make this all work. A few weeks later he pinged me to let me know that because the company (a sizable investment firm) had gone over budget in the deployment of the platform I was set to train people on, that they needed to slash the training budget and would I be willing to do the same job for a 30% decrease in pay? After some soul searching, I proposed what I thought was a win-win which included me not being obligated to take on a full time role. The recruiter went away to theoretically discuss the revised proposal and I never heard from him again. 

While a disappointing experience, it occurred to me later that I was simply a meal ticket for the recruiter. He would negotiate as needed to do what he could to place me but if that didn’t work he would find someone else whose services he could sell instead. I was the product. I wasn’t included in the loop beyond that point.

While I can understand that he needed to work toward his best interests, I also realized that his success was hugely dependent upon mine. In reality, I wasn’t his product, I was his partner.

I mention this because I’ve often had similar thoughts about working with customers. I've mostly worked in the service sector where I’m not selling a loaf of bread or some other sort of commodity or product. Instead, I generally sell consulting and training solutions to marketers. But in order for this model to work, I can’t simply approach my clients as if they are a meal ticket. I need to fully understand their needs and how I can best customize a solution to meet those specific needs. I need to understand their pain points including costs of services, timelines, resource restrictions, etc. I need to know something about their personalities and what makes them tick. And, if I do everything possible to align their needs with what I can offer, then we can together create a perfect storm of needs fulfilled. The bottom line is that if they succeed, then I succeed.

And I’m not the only one who has realized this.

Across the board, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to gain a competitive edge and foster sustainable growth. One transformative strategy is the recognition of customers not merely as recipients of goods or services but as vital partners in the business ecosystem. This paradigm shift is not just a noble approach but a strategic necessity that can unlock unparalleled benefits for companies across various sectors.

The Shift in Perspective

Traditionally, a great number of businesses have operated on a transactional model, where the primary goal was to sell a product or service, often with little regard for the customer's journey or experience beyond the point of sale. 

However, this perspective is rapidly becoming outdated in a world where customer expectations are higher than ever, and loyalty is hard-won. Today, companies that thrive are those that view their customers through a partnership lens, recognizing that each customer interaction is an opportunity to build a relationship, garner insights, and co-create value. And each piece in the relationship can affect a positive or negative outcome in the whole.

At the core of this relationship is the principle of trust. When businesses listen to their customers, respond to their needs, and treat them with respect and transparency, they build a foundation of trust that can lead to enduring loyalty. This loyalty is not just beneficial; it's essential in an era where customers are bombarded with choices and can easily switch to competitors. As I’ve shared in the past, very few people appreciate being treated as a wallet with legs. But because we have so many options today for whom we do business with, those legs can be made for walking away from an untrustworthy partnership. Today, customers are more likely to stick with you, even in tough times, because they feel valued and understood.

Viewing customers as partners also opens the door to invaluable insights. In a traditional model, businesses might rely on market research or data analytics to understand customer behavior. While these tools are important, they can't replace the nuanced understanding that comes from direct interaction with customers who are engaged as partners. 

One of the most powerful things to happen during the advent of digital marketing and online business in general, is that it forced brands to come down from their ivory towers where they often relied only on market data research or data analytics to understand customer needs and preferences. In this new world the customers finally had a voice that brands and business could hear and often the conversations were not always kind or flattering. 

So much of this ties in with AI driven marketing models in which the data we have is being used to share unique content with unique people. Personalization has gone far beyond simply dropping a first name in an email. Today, a better understanding of what prospects and customers want starts with being willing to listen even if that feedback isn’t always favorable. 

These customers are more likely to provide honest feedback, share ideas for new products or services, and help identify pain points that might not be visible from the inside. This level of insight is gold dust for businesses seeking to innovate and improve continuously.

One of the most powerful things about letting customers become part of the brand experience is that it opens up the opportunity for co-creation. This concept involves letting customers take part in helping create things like brand voice. It means asking customers to share their thoughts on products and even ways they could be improved. It could be as simple as involving customers in product development through feedback and testing or as complex as collaborating on new business models that serve shared interests. Co-creation fosters a sense of ownership among customers, making them more invested in the success of the product or service and, by extension, the company itself.

Treating customers as partners provides a powerful way to differentiate your brand. This approach signals to potential and existing customers that your business values more than just transactions; it values relationships and mutual growth. This can be particularly effective in industries where products and services are largely commoditized, and the customer experience becomes the primary battleground. What is your unique selling proposition?

Finally, viewing customers as partners supports sustainable growth. By building relationships based on trust, gaining deep insights into customer needs, and co-creating value, businesses can develop offerings that are more closely aligned with market demands. This alignment not only drives sales but also promotes positive word-of-mouth and customer advocacy, which are essential for organic growth. Moreover, the partnership approach can lead to more efficient use of resources, as it helps companies focus their efforts on what truly matters to their customers.

These changes aren’t going to happen magically or overnight. Adopting this customer-centric approach requires a cultural shift within the organization. It means prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term sales, encouraging open dialogue with customers, and being willing to adapt based on their feedback. It also involves leveraging technology to facilitate better communication and collaboration with customers, whether through social media, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, or co-creation platforms.

Companies must train their teams to view each customer interaction as an opportunity to deepen the partnership. This includes everything from personalized communication to proactive problem-solving. Moreover, leadership must champion this approach, embedding it into the company's values and performance metrics.

As for recruiters, many will continue to approach their prospects as a commodity to be moved and placed. Others, including some I’ve worked with, have been willing to include me in outcomes and to ask me for my opinion and counsel so that they can do a better job helping me find the perfect role. Which one do you think I prefer to work with and which approach do you think will be more successful in the long-run? You’d be right on both counts.

About Spider Graham

Spider Graham is the Founder and CEO of Gravity Clamp and has been a fixture in digital content marketing for nearly 30 years. As a technology writer and strategies trainer, Spider spends a lot of time thinking about ways to make content marketing even more powerful and offers AI Marketing focused training and consulting services. Check out Gravity Clamp’s free course on AI Marketing Fundamentals while it's still available to learn more.