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Have you ever had something or someone get under your skin – stuck in your head and you can’t think of anything else? That’s been me since I shared a Smashing Pumpkins song last week – I started listening to their album Siamese Dream again – such an influential album for me as I was trying to build an indie music career waaaay back in the ’90s!
The song Hummer blew my mind – cool intro, huge guitars, cool riffs, great dynamics, and an awesome outro section that still gets me choked up when I hear it. So many emotions, memories – I just love this song, and love sharing it! Songs like this have special meaning, and I associate them with people and places that mean a lot to me.
Give it a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week… I hope you enjoy it!
Avoiding Regret in Relationships
My friend and colleague Dave Inglis posted something the other day that really got me thinking… how do we invest in the relationships that matter most to us? And more importantly, how can we create urgency to invest in those relationships?
Thinking through those relationships and identifying how much time you have left with those specific people is important. It could be how many more birthdays you’ll have to celebrate with that person. How many more chances to get a burrito at that favorite lunch spot. How many more times to listen to music and talk about life!
And of course, when you frame it that way, you create that sense of urgency to ensure that relationship gets the appropriate attention!
Now, what if we do the same with our customers? How do we invest in those customer relationships that matter most to us?
We talk a lot about Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs), customer retention and customer success. But when we look at those client relationships and REALLY think about their value to us – perhaps we would start to treat them differently? Maybe we’d change how we treat our clients if we realized there was a definite end date to the relationship!
Sometimes you need to decide that your customer is a prize… time to renew and revive!
Investing in the (Music) Relationships that Matter Most
Speaking of investing in the relationships that matter most, this article from Hypebot shows how being a fan today can be expensive, complicated… and you’re being manipulated!
China’s recent crackdown on fandom has shone a light on the dark underbelly of the global fandom machine. Corporations have industrialized, leveraged – and even exploited – fan psychology to extract every possible penny from fanbases. This has manipulated fans to become dedicated to the extreme, leading to the crackdown. And this could very well lead to similar movements the world over in the same direction.
But what is the silver lining in all this? As Alan Cross explains, the Chinese music apps illustrate how much more can be achieved with experiences that are built around the music, rather than relying on only the music itself to be the experience.
As B2B marketers, maybe that should be our takeaway from this. You can build a fanbase with a great product or service. But if you can build an experience around your offering – something that engages and excites your customers – then your fans will become more loyal, more passionate, and more numerous!
So ask yourself a question… How can we transform our customers’ experience to ensure that they’re happier than they’ve ever been?
As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.
Looking forward,
Rick
Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat