DEVELOPING CUSTOMER-CENTRIC STRATEGIES

[ Be prepared for TWO INTENSE DAYS of seeing your
company through customer eyes ]

The first hurdle any type business planning encounters is getting management to invest the time. HYM struggled to overcome this obstacle for a good while until we had a very client- centric thought: “We need to condense customer-centric planning down to the time management will take – without compromising outcomes.” So we developed Hyper- Planning. H-P condenses planning sessions normally spanning many weeks into an intensive two day session. All inputs are gathered beforehand. All executional planning comes after. But for two compressed days H-P guides management through a structured planning process that converts inputs into customer-centric strategies. Very hard work, but well worth it.

Customer-centric planning: Developing customer-centric strategies means planning from the customer perspective. During team planning meetings, we ask participants to “put on your customer hat” or “find your inner customer.” Doing so develops appreciation for what customers want and what they need, including anticipating future preferences. Lacking this customer guidance, companies revert to planning to meet internal goals, which rarely equate to customer goals.

Sequencing planning steps. The antithesis of good planning is dumping piles of reports on a conference room table and saying, “Where do we start?” Years of HYM planning experience have yielded a best practice sequence for facilitating team planning meetings. All information is introduced when needed, and not before – which streamlines the planning process and opens up creative thinking. As you’ll note from the following chart, setting goals happens last, not first, and for a good reason. Letting goals drive planning silences the customer voice, which should drive strategy development.

Breakthrough outcomes. In most instances, Hyper-Planning produces breakthrough strategies that strengthen customer relationships and create significant competitive advantages for our clients.

To learn more about H-P, read or download our free Essential Hyper-Planning.