Your customer perceives your company's disorganization before the balance sheet does

Your customer perceives your company's disorganization before the balance sheet does.

I have been hired to evaluate companies and point out where results can improve. I created a habit: before setting foot in the operation, I listen to what the market says about it. The best company in the world, if the customer does not perceive it, does not attract new customers.

This did not come from theory. In my repair shops, color, light and service were my decision, down to the detail. At the solar energy distributor, the customer received a photo of each item before the load left. He knew whom to call and what he would receive. That perceived value set us apart from an entire market operating through platforms.

Bad service is not a training failure. It is not a front-line problem. It is a decision postponed at the top, arriving at the edge.

Excellence the customer does not perceive is not excellence. It is cost.

While perception is left for later:
• The customer you never even knew existed closes with the competitor.
• Margin falls to make up for what the experience does not sustain.
• In the medium term, the company disappears in the comparison and price becomes the only argument.

The customer does not read your balance sheet. He feels your management.

By the time the balance sheet shows it, the customer has already left. The cost has already started.