After the success of our first debate – starring Dave and Sergio – we decided to put another contentious topic to two of our brilliant business coaches.
This time we’re focusing on the role of the customer in shaping what and how we deliver.
Many of you will have experienced it before: a customer identifies a need for training and orchestrates the response to meeting it.
In simple terms, they define both the problem and the solution.
How far should we be guided by the customer in determining their training needs?
Does it really solve the problem? And does the customer even truly know what the problem is that they’re trying to solve?
Step forward Lucy Philip and Jo Stimpson. Spoiler alert: there is a consensus of opinion!
I think the customer is paying us to share ‘what is current thinking’ in training. I think they come with a basis of an idea and would like our expertise, knowledge and experience to offer ways to evolve their idea of what might be their need. Often, we get feedback around them ‘asking us for even more consultancy and proactivity about what we feel would be a good training/coaching solution that will ultimately result in changed behaviours/increase in sales, etc ..
Like in any relationship, once we have established rapport we can challenge the thinking of customers. Also important to challenge our own solutions that we propose and make sure we stay fresh and innovative and not reliant on things we’ve done before. To co-create ideas with customers is rewarding.