Customer-centricity: How understanding and solving the specific problems of your customers will gradually turn you into a market leader

By Patrick Mayoh

You should stop thinking about your company in terms of the product or service you sell. Rather your company serves specific customers' needs or problems. I think company that are customer centric rather than product-centric have more competitive edge. You don't want to be perceived as an organization that tries to get people to buy your stuffs but as a problem solver or a place where people's problems are truly understood and solved. 

I have thought about a matrix that you can use as a starting point to develop, improve or bring new products to your market. It is applicable to all business settings and all types of customers. It helps you:

• Define a problem (what are your customers facing: how, when, where)
• Identify current solutions to the problem (who is helping them or what are they doing themselves already)
• And bring in your solutions (what is not right with what they are doing and how are you helping them)

 I have been working as a chief strategy officer for Auracameroon a water-solutions company in Cameroon. Developping and using this framework has been very instrumental for the job I have to do.