A continuing source of amazement for me is how stereotypically male companies can be. Male in the “playboy” sense. So many companies act like a guy who just wants to get laid and move on to his next conquest. They need the rush of a new customer acquisition, whatever the cost. Now I can understand the appeal of actually being Hugh Hefner but it just doesn’t work for companies – and yet most still behave this way.

Customers want relationships! One of the myths that marketers like to perpetuate is that the customer is fickle and likely to leave to a competitor at any moment and for a wide variety of reasons. For most companies, this just isn’t true. In truth, the marketer is the fickle one. His performance is judged on the basis of new customer acquisitions and very rarely has any real interest in customer retention. The marketer is the serial monogamist, trained to keep finding new customers. His viewpoint will typically create the impression that each customer is a heartbeat from leaving to a competitor. What do you do? You spend, spend, spend on trying to find new customers. Well, the reality is very different: customers want relationships with companies. They look for reasons to become a loyal customer.

Companies continue to spend on marketing, instead of building relationships. It’s true. Look at the relative importance, both in budgetary and organisational terms, of the marketing department and customers services. Companies define themselves as “sales-driven” or “market-driven”. Where are the “customer-driven” companies?

Companies that grow their capacity to build customer strong and lasting relationship will be the medium and long-term survivors in this post-advertising world.