The Value of Customer-Centric Digital Strategies

This year, I’m all in on reshaping our approach to Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies, with a keen focus on making every engagement and touchpoint count. It’s not just about piling on more tech; it’s about choosing smart, impactful tools that resonate with our savvy customers. 🚀 We’re living in a time when our customers are doing their homework way before we even get a chance to say "hello." They're savvy, informed, and they know what they want. That means our old playbook might not cut it anymore. We need strategies that meet them where they are, not where we wish they’d be. Enter the game-changers like Apollo.io and Customer.io. These companies are nailing it by ensuring that the tech we use doesn't just bombard our customers with messages but actually enriches their journey. Apollo.io is a masterclass in reaching out at the right time with the right message, making those sales conversations feel less like cold calls and more like warm, welcome chats. Meanwhile, Customer.io takes personalization to the next level, ensuring that every marketing touch feels tailor-made. It’s clear that success in today’s market isn’t about the volume of tools in our arsenal, but about selecting tech that makes our customers feel seen, heard, and valued. It’s about creating a GTM strategy that's as dynamic and intelligent as the market we're catering to. So, as we dive into this journey, let’s keep our focus laser-sharp on what truly matters—building genuine connections with our customers. By embracing technologies that align with and enhance the customer journey, we can not only achieve our targets but also set a new standard for excellence in customer engagement. Here’s to making our GTM strategies smarter, more efficient, and, most importantly, customer-centric. Let's lead with value, and let the tech we choose be the bridge to deeper, more meaningful interactions. After all, in the end, it's all about the impact we make on our customers' journey. 💡✨ As we continue to navigate this evolving landscape, what technologies or strategies do you believe will define the next era of customer-centric sales? How can we ensure our GTM not only meets but exceeds customer expectations, fostering both loyalty and growth? Let’s discuss. 🤝

Attribution isn't a marketing strategy. But most B2Bs build their entire GTM around metrics like: -Clicks -MQLs -eBook Downloads This often leads to: -Excessive focus on BoFu -Missed opportunities -Lost sales -Increased competition Here’s how to pivot to customer-centric marketing in 5 steps: 1) Identify Core Needs - Start by deeply understanding the problems your customers face. - Engage in conversations - Use surveys - Analyze customer data 2) Map the Buyer's Journey - Design your marketing tactics to guide potential customers from awareness to decision - Give them what they need at each stage 3)Evaluate Touchpoints - Assess each interaction with your brand. - Are these helpful? Personalized? - Can you remove friction? - Are you adding real value? 4) Educate, Don’t Sell - Build a community of prospects - Create content that informs - Teach prospects to buy from you - Learn what they need and package it up for them 5) Measure Impact, Not Just Leads - Develop metrics that gauge the real impact of your efforts - How many prospects are learning with you? - How many are in your community? - Souced Pipeline - Pipeline velocity - Deal Size - Win rates Shifting from short-term gains to long-term impact can transform your B2B marketing strategy. It requires patience and persistence, but the payoff is a loyal customer base and a stronger brand. Reflect on your strategy: Is it truly built around your customer's needs?

#Banks are changing their business model, creating ecosystems that offer hyper relevant and personalized experiences using the Network Effect👇 Bill Gates said it best: « Banking is necessary, Banks are not ». Banks face an existential threat as others move on to turf. Yet while banks are aware of this, it’s also the case that most still do what they’ve always done: provide banking products and services. Granted, many such offerings are available via digital channels, but simply digitizing existing banking products and services isn’t enough. The Key: 👉 To survive and thrive, Banks must think about their role and how they can expand their functions to stay relevant in their customers’ lives. How so, by becoming a #LivingBank: a bank that can adapt its services and offerings to its customers by providing a « deeply personalized experience wherever and however they customer wants ». Banks are in a unique position to make those changes swiftly: 🔸Trusted customer-base 🔸Great brand recognition 🔸Deeply embedded into their consumers lifestyles Banks have the data on what their consumers earn, where they spend their money and how much more which is not the case for firms that sell consumer good while providing banking services #BaaS. A great example is AutoFi: a US-based fintech whose e-commerce platform lets customers look for, buy and finance a car wholly online. It is the sort of customer-centric, ecosystem-driven space that creates hyper-relevance for customers. Banking, then, is changing fast, and leading banks are shifting from providing core banking-centric services to delivering customer-centric services. The following 3 factors underpin this: 🔸The demand for Service Aggregators 🔸The approach of GAFAA firms and Neobanks, which focus on the experience factor to win customers 🔸The acceleration of change due to internet and eCommerce To build a marketplace, a Bank (Bank of America, Wells Fargo & others…) needs to go through 3 processes: 1️⃣ Define a Marketplace Strategy (B2B, B2C, P2P) 👉 Dive into Marketplace Types, Target Audience and Products / Services. 2️⃣ Design from the Customer, to the Customer 👉 Banks need to be customer-centric and not business-focused, providing a space for banks to bring products to customers with simplicity 3️⃣ Decide on the eCommerce Platform and Capabilities (diagram below) 👉 Platform Strategy 👉 Platform Governance 👉 Platform Innovation 👉 Platform Operations 👉 Data Analytics 👉 Technology 👉 Sales & Marketing 👉 Banking Products 👉 Corporate Functions 👉 Business Operations Generating a volume strategy by pursuing a #networkeffect is crucial for a Bank to become a Living Bank. Change is needed by it’s happening. ----- Hit the 🔔 on my LinkedIn to stay updated with the latest Payment & Sustainability Initiatives 👇 ✍️ Don't be shy, comment! 📲 Sharing is caring, right? 📩 Anything you want to learn more about, DM me! #bankingmarketplace #banking #payments #globalpayments #fintech

Scaling Strategy #40: Customer-Centric Scaling Growth without customer focus isn’t growth—it’s erosion. In this week’s strategy (from my '50 Scaling Strategies' eBook), I unpack how leaders can maintain deep customer connection while scaling operations, teams, and technology. Backed by real-world data and a proven Deloitte framework, this edition outlines a tactical roadmap for embedding customer insight into every part of your business. You’ll learn: - Why churn increases when feedback loops break down - How to align cross-functional teams around customer goals, and - What customer-centricity looks like at scale + Plus, I share a client case study showing how a simple shift in feedback operations led to a measurable drop in churn and increase in customer LTV! Read this issue if: – Your team is scaling faster than your customer experience – NPS, satisfaction, or renewal rates have plateaued – You want a battle-tested framework to operationalize customer-first thinking Framework Featured: Deloitte’s Customer-Centric Operating Model (CCOM) Sam Palazzolo 🟢 Real Strategies. Real Results. Delivered weekly. #customercentric #businessgrowth #executivecoaching #scaling

#CustomerExperience leaders need to split their strategies into deliberate bottom-up and top-down approaches. Many get the bottom-up right, but they struggle with the top-down. Bottom-up strategies focus on improving customer-centric employee behaviors at scale. These approaches include #CX or empathy training for front-line workers, using Voice of Customer feedback to set touchpoint expectations based on customer feedback, and building customer-centric KPIs into individual performance appraisals. But where many CX leaders struggle is often with engaging senior leaders to influence their customer-centric behaviors. It's difficult to influence C-suite behavior, but if you're expected to improve customer-centric culture in the organization, then you cannot avoid this. Top-down strategies start with showing senior leaders how customer satisfaction impacts growth, retention, margin, and lifetime value. It also includes improving CX and VoC reporting to provide more recommendations and actions, not just findings and data. Having discussions with leaders about the importance of financial and non-financial rewards for customer-centric behaviors is another tool in the top-down toolkit. And using personas and journey maps is a vital way to convert customer and touchpoint data into a compelling story of necessary change. Don't rely on dashboards and reports to do the job of top-down CX engagement. Don't count on a couple of positive customer-centric comments from leaders as a sign of meaningful, irreversible support. And do not assume that the fact your CX job exists is evidence of senior leaders' commitment to customer experience. Part of the job for a successful CX leader is to constantly prove the value of customer-centric strategies, influence senior leader priorities, and arm decision-makers with the insight they need to make customer-centric decisions. Don't just empower your frontline workers and assume the job is done. If you aren't building a consistent dialog with executives, you're not only missing an opportunity to make the most significant customer impact but also seeding future problems that can lead to declining support, budget, and resources for customer experience initiatives. Take a comment today to identify or define your top-down and bottom-up CX strategies for 2024. If there's an imbalance, solving that now can lead to better outcomes by the end of this year.

“We don’t need to act, as long as we keep listening and reporting.” Sound ridiculous? It should. But this is exactly how most VoC programs operate today. “We put customers at the center of everything we do.” It sounds nice. It wins awards. It fills keynote slides. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most VoC programs are not built to drive action. They’re built to observe. To report. To keep executives informed without making anyone accountable. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. It means turning raw feedback into clear priorities. It means making hard trade-offs: which issues to fix, which to monitor, and which to let go. It means aligning Product, Ops, and CX teams to actually execute—not just share dashboards. The companies who succeed don’t just hear their customers. They operationalize their voices into decision-making at every level. So ask yourself: Does your VoC program influence roadmap decisions? Does it change how teams are measured? Does it deliver measurable business impact—churn reduced, costs cut, revenue unlocked? Until the answer is yes, “customer-centric” is just a slogan. Real customer-centricity means being a driver of action.

The quickest path to business growth is continuous customer interviews. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀: 1. 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.     Continuous research leads to a better understanding of customer needs and preferences, which can result in more successful design solutions and product decisions. 2. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.     By continuously monitoring customer behavior and market trends, businesses can identify problems and opportunities in real time. This allows for quick responses to changes in user needs, market conditions, or competitive landscapes, ensuring that the company remains relevant and its products stay valuable to customers. 3. 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆.     Continuous customer feedback can lead to higher-quality products and services, which in turn can improve customer satisfaction. Satisfied customers are more likely to become loyal, repeat buyers and are more forgiving during corporate crises, contributing to long-term business success. 4. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀.     Continuous discovery helps businesses stay up-to-date with what's influencing their customers and the market. Companies can discover new value streams and opportunities by keeping an eye on product analytics, user feedback, and market research, ensuring they never lag behind the competition. 5. 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.     Continuous customer research can help align the business with the product vision and priorities. Engaged team members become part of a culture of continuous improvement. This provides ownership of problems, improves employee morale, and fosters innovation throughout the company. Continuous customer research helps businesses stay agile, informed, and customer-centric, leading to better products, satisfied customers, and a stronger market position. But a customer research program doesn't build itself. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲? ~fin~ ===== 👋 I'm Ari... I write a short email to 629+ people every Saturday on how to Think Like a Detective™ to make better growth bets by: 🔎 Collecting evidence like a detective 🎤 Reporting insights like a news anchor 🎬 Capturing attention like a blockbuster movie Want me to send it to you? Link in the comments below 👇

4 Steps to Improving Customer-Centricity The most successful companies understand that their best customers are their most valuable asset. And their acquisition, development and retention efforts are based on seeing customers as INDIVIDUALS. Here's a simple way to become more customer-centric: 1. Understand the customer's context Deeply understand your customer's environment, their challenges, opportunities, goals, and even constraints. Focus on the psychographics, not just the demographics. 2. Understand the customer's needs Identify the customer's current and future needs, wants, and expectations. You can do this through direct communication with the customer, market research, or customer feedback. 3. Tailor your offering Once you understand your customer's operating reality, you can adapt your product or service to better suit their needs. This can involve customization of your product, flexible pricing models, or specific support and service offerings. 4. Be proactive with communication Meeting a customer in their operating reality also involves being proactive in communication, addressing potential issues before they become problems, and being responsive to customer questions and concerns. Leverage backend automation so you can spend more time engaging in "forward-facing" activities with current or prospective customers. ******************** Simple, but not easy. The business success you're looking for is in the work you might be avoiding. If you want an edge over your competition, carve out some time and follow the 4 steps above.

Let's talk about the fascinating synergy between business strategy and technical implementation in the SaaS industry. Having navigated this dynamic landscape myself, I'm thrilled to share some insights from my journey. 🎯 In my experience at Ardas, I've witnessed the magic that unfolds when business vision aligns seamlessly with technical prowess. It's like orchestrating a symphony, where each note represents a strategic move, and the instruments are the technical elements that bring it to life. 🌐 Holistic Alignment: Today, SaaS isn't just about writing code; it's about creating solutions that resonate with customer needs. Your business strategy isn't a standalone document – it's the cornerstone of your software development. Whether it's optimizing user experience, enhancing scalability, or ensuring robust security, the technical implementation is the bridge that turns strategy into reality. 🚀 Innovation Accelerator: As the SaaS landscape evolves at warp speed, the intersection of business and tech becomes the playground of innovation. Imagine your business strategy as the fuel that ignites the technical engine, propelling you ahead of the competition. Embracing AI, machine learning, and IoT isn't just trendy – it's strategic! The right tech can supercharge your strategy, opening doors to new revenue streams and customer delight. 💬 Feedback Loop: Remember that communication isn't just for humans; it's for strategy and code too! Regular feedback loops between your business team and tech wizards foster a culture of collaboration. Listen to your devs, and they'll translate your strategy into tech marvels that users love. And when users are happy, your strategy flourishes. It's a beautiful loop of innovation and satisfaction. 🌟 Customer-Centric Approach: In today's SaaS galaxy, customers aren't just users – they're partners. Your business strategy should echo their needs, and your tech should deliver beyond expectations. Personalization, real-time insights, and frictionless experiences aren't just buzzwords – they're the cornerstone of customer retention and advocacy. And remember, in the fast-paced world of SaaS, collaboration between these two realms isn't just beneficial – it's essential! #SaaSInsights #TechInnovation #BusinessStrategy

Have you noticed this intriguing pattern in customer behavior? Customers who have a positive experience may or may not share their thoughts about a product or brand. Conversely, those who have a negative experience are more likely to express their opinions, potentially affecting your brand's reputation. But then, when people have an exceptionally good experience that significantly enhances their quality of life, they become passionate advocates. I recall a few years ago when one of my friends couldn't stop raving about @Instapot. Every conversation, whether it revolved around her daily routine, latest cooking recipes, or achieving work-life balance, was linked to this one ingenious kitchen tool. It was akin to a magic box for her. That interaction taught me a critical lesson in customer experience. Here are some of my takeaways: 1. Customer Advocacy: Exceptional experiences turn customers into enthusiastic advocates. When your product or service significantly enriches their lives, they become your most passionate promoters. 2. Word of Mouth Matters: Positive customer experiences generate invaluable positive WOM, especially in today's interconnected world. Your customers can serve as your most effective marketing and demand generation team. 3. Impact on Reputation: Negative experiences can tarnish your brand's reputation. Promptly and effectively addressing concerns is critical. It's essential to convert detractors into loyal supporters through swift resolution. 4. Customer-Centric Approach: Being customer-centric goes beyond mere buzzwords; it's a business imperative. It involves creating a seamless end-to-end customer journey, not just a good product or service. 5. The Power of Stories: Stories hold the power to connect with people on a deeper level. Encourage your customers to share their success stories and transformative experiences. In today's competitive landscape, going the extra mile is imperative.✨ What are your thoughts on this?