Is Your Business All About You?

Ignoring the signs can make your customers unhappy and cost you big time.

We had never cut our son’s hair… not once since he was born. He was born with a full head of thick, black hair... and we instantly fell in love with it. Jordan’s 3 years old now, and his hair (when fully extended) was almost at his waist.

I hated hearing him cry when I had to wash, comb and braid it. I usually make four big braids and scoop them up unto a ponytail. But his hair, like mine, is unruly… with flyaways aplenty. It took lots of moisture and brushing to tame it and make it look presentable.

I loved his hair. I mean, I really did.

He must have liked having it too because he would shake his head to feel the thick braids slap his face and bounce around when he ran.

So, when we decided the hair should go, there was trepidation (on our part, we soon learned).

Our son has autism, so something like sitting still in a barber’s chair and getting his head shaved with a strange buzzing tool isn’t something we thought would be quick and painless. No. We were bracing ourselves for a long evening, a frustrated barber, and a botched haircut.

But Jordan sat on his father’s lap in the barber’s chair... and in less than 10 minutes, his braids came off one by one. I saw the shape of his head for the first time. Jordan is nonverbal, so he couldn’t vocalize his feelings, but his reaction was priceless.

He started checking himself out in the mirror and smiling. He seemed elated like he had taken a load off. He probably did.

It was a lot of hair.

When he got to the car, and I put him in his car seat, he was touching his head and applauding. He was laughing and humming. He was happy!

So what does cutting my son’s hair have to do with your business?

Well, maybe nothing!

But in that moment, I realized that keeping his hair uncut wasn’t about him. It was about me and his dad.

As businesses, we often fall into the trap of projecting what we want onto our customers, clients, and anyone we interact with.

Stop and ask yourself, do my customers enjoy using my website? What kind of user experience does it offer? Maybe it looks great… or the pictures are high-quality. But all that will be irrelevant if your customers or clients aren’t getting what they need when they need it... and with the least amount of effort.

Is your content helpful? Are customers checking your blog to see what kind of insight you have to offer? Are you sending useful information to their inboxes?

If you’re a realtor, does your website help people navigate the rough and tumble world of home-buying? What is your tax preparation business offering that others aren’t?

What can lead the customers to you?
Part of learning these things is stepping outside of the bubble and listening to your customers. 
They speak through their actions.

Are they satisfied with your customer service? When they’re looking for a ___________, are they coming to you?

Sure, Jordan would cry when I had to care for his hair, and I ignored it because I knew it didn’t really hurt. It took me a long time to realize that maybe it just wasn’t working for him anymore.

Take a fresh look at what you’re offering and ask yourself, is it still working for my clients? Are they happy? Because if they aren’t, your competition is right there and eager to please.

In life and in business, doing what you like and ignoring the signs that are right in front of you can be pretty costly.