Communication is the glue between you and your customers
Not how to be sticky, but how to join and connect people
This is something that I grapple with on a daily basis. My job, as you can see, is content marketing. As an much as I can say I’m a storyteller, scrivener, writer, or creative content constructor (just made that one up), my job is to be glue. My job is to create things that will connect Infobip to its customers. And the funny part is that Infobip is in the business of connecting businesses to their customers. It’s like I’m meta glue or the glue for glue.
Before you say with a groan “Man, another freakin’ post about how I have to create sticky content. If someone asks me to create something sticky one more time I’m going to glue my hands to my ass so I can just sit on them all day.”
This is ain’t that kind of post.
Ever tried to pull apart something really glued together?
It breaks. If you do it right, those two pieces become interlocked so if you do try to the pull them apart both parts are a little broken in the process. The right glue and the right connection makes something strong that either of the pieces alone.
Zen B.S.? Have you ever tried to get a well done mortise and tenon or dovetail joint apart? Yeah, that’s a strong joint. It’s the kind of joint that supports weight and becomes structural . This is what good communication is about it’s finding that right glue to connect you to customers so that you’re both stronger for it.
Fine, Jedi Master, what’s the first step on this journey of 1000 miles?
Get this, it’s simple. Listen to your customers. And not listen in terms of “oh maybe if they mention something like we’re selling I can up sell them”, but listen for their challenges. Listen to the stuff that drives them nuts. Find out what will help them get their bonus. Get out of your own way and listen.
Then find a way to solve their problem.
Sometimes the solution is unrelated to anything you offer. Maybe it’s a spreadsheet to manage projects or calculate ROI. Maybe it’s a proposal or RFP template. Yeah, sometimes the solution is something you offer, but if you listen to customers your solution solves their problems (and not yours).
Here’s a good example from around the office.
We got a lead into the CRM from a company that makes a cool video walkie-talkie app. When we tried the app we never got the confirmation text to activate our account. Getting that text was the key to getting new users. That was a big problem for this company.
We solved it and now nearly 100% of the confirmation messages get through.
We listened and provided the glue to connect us together.
Communicate the solution and the rest just sticks
Every single day we face challenges. Personal challenges. Work challenges. Some days even getting through the day is challenge enough. When we listen outside of our bubble, when we think of customers as friends who we’d like to help, it becomes easier to relate to them and easier to find a solution for them.
That’s the central part of being the glue between you and customers. The communicating part? That will naturally fall into place. You’ll find someone to make the Excel template. You’ll share a post you stumbled on. Trust me, when you find the solution to someone’s problem, you won’t have any problem communicating it.
