Stead Defines 'Customer'

And here's one more from the paper file I'm putting into electronic format to reduce the pile of papers in my life:

During the all-associate broadcast, Jerre Stead shared with the team a memo another associate had sent about defining a customer. Here are the highlights:

• Customers are individual companies with unique needs.
• Customers are struggling with their competitors for success.
• Customers are people with feelings and opinions, therefore relationships and experiences matter.
• Customers will judge us by our performance, not by our words.
• Customers are influenced by every contact with us, each and every day.

Customer "Must Not's"

• We must not import our products or ideas on customers.
• We must not ask customers to deal with people who cannot make decisions.
• We must not make customers wrestle with our bureaucracy.
• We must not allow any question, issue or awkwardness go unattended or unresolved.
• We must never unpleasantly surprise our customer.
• We must never, never take a customer for granted.

Customer "Can's"

• We can help the customer succeed - make our customers winners.
• We can provide greater value to our customers than our competitors can.
• We can measure ourselves from the viewpoint of our customers.
• We can put decision-making close to our customers.
• We can continuously improve to better serve our customers.