Only the business with the ‘‘human touch’’ that consistently demonstrates, ‘‘you’re a real person and we genuinely care’’ will stand out as noteworthy in the eyes of the customer. Product and price is easily copied; a business’s ‘‘human touch’’ competency is not.
The ‘‘human touch’’ competency should not be confused with the popular but misconceived notion publicized by most businesses that they have customer ‘‘relationships’’ or seek customer ‘‘intimacy’’. The truth is that most customers don’t want what the word ‘‘relationship’’ or ‘‘intimacy’’ implies – a certain degree of closeness or meaningfulness regarded by most as offensive and intrusive.
Customers want and need something more akin to an ‘‘understanding’’. An understanding has certain emotionally based expectations and exchanges without the implied closeness and meaningfulness suggested by the word ‘‘relationship’’.
Research has shown that this ‘‘understanding’’ is based on three primary human needs of customers and the resulting expectations:
1 Acknowledgement
2 Respect
3 Trust
How and why customers choose to buy, both initially and follow-on customer purchases, is eloquently simple. Here is a snapshot of how customers buy as ‘‘people’’ (through their eyes):
1 Build trust in me so I feel buying your product is the best decision for me.
2 Acknowledge me and my importance to you.
3 Respect me and my needs.
Initial trust is either confirmed and strengthened or is disproved and decreases based on the customer’s experience.
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