INTANGIBLE aspects in consumption can be easily turned into tangibility and made visible through effective entrepreneurial marketing strategies, especially in this contemporary world where the customer is increasingly becoming a king than any time before.
Also remembering that everyone is a customer of your business, hence no one should be left behind as we plan to be guided by this progressive bandwagon.
It is a must do practice by our thriving entrepreneurs. Here we dive into customer perception matters that affect and contribute to their positive experience as an outcome of the effort done by our home-grown and global entrepreneurs.
To start with, professionalism is key in our entrepreneurial business setting where the customer feels valued and recognised as the reason behind why we are doing business.
Most of our entrepreneurs tend to forget, but we keep on reminding them that we are in the business for that customer.
The positive perception that develops in that customer from this perspective can endlessly lead to their high retention and referrals.
Even before a moment of truth, the customer will be looking for those reflections especially through virtually-wired systems like those we have discussed previously as connectors of customer relationship management systems (CRMS).
Unfortunately, some of our entrepreneurial businesses do not even have a website as noted in the previous edition.
- Perceptions, experience driven entrepreneurship
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That is where the interface of a business starts injecting and contributing to the perception(s) that our potential customers have about what they are to be provided by us when they finally engage for consumption (in the form of an experience).
The designs, colours, pictures and videos presented talks more about the professionalism that is steering the entrepreneurial ship.
Not every customer is the same customer. As much as their needs/wants might seem similar, their expectations and experiences are different from one individual to another.
Take time/effort to know each customer better and customise what you will provide to them accordingly.
This does not only bring a positive perception and experience but goes beyond into the financial state of the business.
Where you do not waste resources through mass production and promotions to the world when you will only reach a few customers.
Efficiency is a common term but not a practice by some of our entrepreneurs. As witnessed in most practices a promise to deliver will always take forever to materialise (that is ruinous).
That is the same reason why most of our potential customers have resorted to corporates/big businesses and have stereotyped every entrepreneur as inefficient.
Our current practices should show a difference in order to change this global perception, especially in our local operations where SMEs are perceived to produce substandard goods and services. It goes back to our systems, processes, technology and human positioning at each stage of the value chain.
It is no longer a matter of following a trend but having the right settings. Whereby in most cases we have left it all to technology where humans can do better and vice versa.
As said in the school of economics, there is a need to have allocative efficiency which is a process of taking resources to where they are most needed. We can do the same for an improved perception by our targeted markets.
The aim here is to give maximum satisfaction to the customer rather than a mere wowing.
A good experience should be communicated by the customer somehow and if not, we should make an effort to know how the purchase/consumption went.
This is being done by other progressive businesses where they do online reviews, customer feedback surveys, invitation to treat and making them brand partners.
In some instances our entrepreneurial colleagues cannot even respond to queries from the customers or compensate where needed.
It always takes us back to the power of exchange where the same customer can influence others by sharing a bad experience with your business (we wouldn’t want such).
Therefore, as we go forward, it should be known that in the process of understanding perceptions and experience of our customers, we are at the same time creating/strengthening our competitive edge.
This is critical in creating a barrier to entry in the perfectly competitive global market so as to become a monopoly.
These might seem to be little matters in our entrepreneurial drive but they go far in market share dominance and growth of our businesses now and into the future.
Till then, I leave you to reflect for positive perception and improved experience of our customers.
- Dr Farai Chigora is a businessman and academic. He is the head of business science at the Africa University’s College of Business, Peace, Leadership and Governance. His doctoral research focused on business administration (destination marketing and branding major, Ukzn, SA). He is into agribusiness and consults for many companies in Zimbabwe and Africa. He writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted for feedback and business at fariechigora@gmail.com, www.fachip.co.zw, WhatsApp mobile: +263772886871.
