Filling a need
You've been there. It is 1 am and you are hungry. You go to "the place". You know that place.
For me in college, it was the Silver Truck. In Hong Kong its Ebenezers. In Rio its BB Lanches, and in Fort Lauderdale, just the other night it was Primantis Pizza (Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day).
These places are not gourmet eating establishments. They don't cut it when you want to sit down for a nice dinner and a bottle of wine, or if you want to sit around a table and chat with friends. But as I stood there eating my pizza slice at Primantis, it reminded me of a discussion I have had numerous times with team members and with clients.
When we assess our product, our service to our customers, we must always focus on the need we are looking to fill.. Sometimes it is an existing need; sometimes we take risks and believe we can create a new market, a new need. We are in the business of filling needs. When our customers don't need us anymore, we become irrelevant - and that can happen because our product or service has not kept pace, or because our competitors have started to be better at filling the need.
And we have to really be disciplined about the the need we want to fill, the need we can fill. Primantis Pizza is not competing with Casa D'Angelo, my favorite Italian restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. When I want fine dining I go to Casa D'Angelo. But Primantis knows there is a need ... and they have filled it.
Understand where you fit into the customer needs spectrum and become the best at filling that need.
For me in college, it was the Silver Truck. In Hong Kong its Ebenezers. In Rio its BB Lanches, and in Fort Lauderdale, just the other night it was Primantis Pizza (Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day).
These places are not gourmet eating establishments. They don't cut it when you want to sit down for a nice dinner and a bottle of wine, or if you want to sit around a table and chat with friends. But as I stood there eating my pizza slice at Primantis, it reminded me of a discussion I have had numerous times with team members and with clients.
When we assess our product, our service to our customers, we must always focus on the need we are looking to fill.. Sometimes it is an existing need; sometimes we take risks and believe we can create a new market, a new need. We are in the business of filling needs. When our customers don't need us anymore, we become irrelevant - and that can happen because our product or service has not kept pace, or because our competitors have started to be better at filling the need.
And we have to really be disciplined about the the need we want to fill, the need we can fill. Primantis Pizza is not competing with Casa D'Angelo, my favorite Italian restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. When I want fine dining I go to Casa D'Angelo. But Primantis knows there is a need ... and they have filled it.
Understand where you fit into the customer needs spectrum and become the best at filling that need.
Comments
Post a Comment