Que clientes negligenciar?

O capítulo 5 de "Passionate and profitable : why customer strategies fail and ten steps to do them right", de Lior Arussy, intitulado "What Customers do We Neglect?" é simplesmente muito bom. Começa assim:

"In personal relationships we know that the more people we befriend, the less time we will have to invest in the relationship. Thus, we conduct different types of relationships with different people.
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The relationship rule is quite simple: the deeper the relationship, the fewer people with whom we can entertain it. The shallower and shorter the relationship, the more people we can consider. There is a direct correlation between the amount of time, resources, and overall investment and the quality and longevity of the relationship. One cannot invest lightly and expect a deeper, longer lasting relationship.
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These basic, common-sense rules, however, seem not to apply when it comes to commercial relationships, or that is what executives want to believe, at least. The commercial idea of a typical relationship is this: we can establish deep, long-lasting relationships with anyone who is willing to pay. Any customer willing to pay our price (or close to it) is a prime candidate for a long, deep relationship. It is wishful thinking, and most customers are not buying it. It is, in fact, the exact attitude that turns customers off. They know that such a relationship cannot be conducted with everyone. Customers have learned that any relationship that attempts to attract everyone in fact attracts no one.
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Without proper selection of participants and investment in the relationship, no relationship will last for too long or command any kind of a preference or premium price. But companies still insist that they can reach the masses and build intimacy and loyalty at the same time."

Entretanto, ontem no JdN encontrei "Mudança de operador entre as PME atingiu os níveis mais elevados em 2014":

"De acordo com os dados do regulador do sector a maioria das PME portuguesas subscreveu ofertas "standard" empresariais (84,7%).[Moi ici: Preguiça de quem vende, trabalha para a massa, incapaz de personalizar, comoditiza] Apenas 8,8% referiram dispor de ofertas à medida.
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Segundo o mesmo inquérito em 2014 a mudança de prestador entre as PME atingiu os níveis mais elevados até agora registados."

Isto é tão clássico. As empresas gastam tantas energias a conquistar clientes que não têm recursos para satisfazer os clientes que mantêm. Então, estes passam para o próximo ofertante e, assim por diante, num carrossel de "churning".
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É melhor voltar a ler:

"Without proper selection of participants and investment in the relationship, no relationship will last for too long or command any kind of a preference or premium price."

Recomendo este webinar Gaining Brand Traction com o caso da Towngas.