How to Successfully Cultivate Customer-Focused Teams
2/24/2023 Matthew Tilley
Businesses sometimes lose sight of the human aspect of marketing. They can mistakenly see their customers only as data points — a flawed perspective that has obvious limitations and can result in myriad pitfalls.
In this Business to Human podcast, Radhika Duggal, Chief Marketing Officer at technology company Super, reminds us that the best marketers have a deep understanding of their customers, learn from them about their needs, and become their voice. She shares insights from her own experiences on how to become that voice of the customer, leading to more satisfying design, development, and marketing of products and services.
Here are just a few of the highlights from the podcast:
Overcoming shrinking resources, customer disconnect
Super’s marketing challenge is common and spans all industries: diminishing resources and the expectation to do more with less. Fortunately, says Duggal, there are ways for marketers to overcome resource limitations. And each is rooted in understanding your customer:
Be scrappy, resourceful and bold — It’s essential to dig into your target audience in order to develop and release a product that has clear use and value for customers. And you don’t need a lot of resources like panel studies, focus groups, or other high-cost investments to achieve it.
Duggal’s market research method, for instance, was to stand outside a competitor and ask questions to customers as they exited the building. Her plan was bold, budget-friendly, and, most importantly, effective.
“You start to understand customers’ pain and passion points — what works and what doesn’t,” says Duggal.
Volunteer for projects that can improve your work — Hands-on project work provides insight for developing products that serve your customers’ needs and wants. Doing so has other benefits, too: Stepping outside your immediate responsibilities to take on projects will benefit the company while also enhancing your own knowledge, performance, and productivity.
“I raised my hand for a special project — a multi-segment market research project,” says Duggal. “By doing that, I was able to make sure that the project also did double-duty serving my team’s needs for that product.”
Have a plan to demonstrate your value — Taking on extra responsibilities for new products and testing can also help demonstrate and preserve value. Instead of increasing headcount for a project, offer your most passionate and dedicated team members the chance to contribute to products and services that serve your customers and build business. Your top performers will likely jump at the opportunity.
In the end, regardless of the industry, you’re trying to reach other human beings. Even with limited resources, you need to talk to the people you’re trying to reach so that you can understand what’s on their minds. Maintaining these connections is essential for preserving humanity in marketing.
Apply what you know about your target audience
Once you identify and understand the needs of your target audience, apply that insight to serve your customers and business.
As a product-led organization, Duggal’s company relies on knowing their customers so their teams recognize the value and purpose behind what they’re doing. Each data point informs forward action or. alternately, justifies nonaction.
“We gather data about product usage and use it to inform feature development,” Duggal says. “It gives us the ability to iterate quickly and drive value.”
The importance of customer-centricity and collaboration impacts more than marketing effectiveness and product and personal development. Ensuring communication and alignment across all teams, including operations, supports the company’s goals and success.
“We structure our policies or procedures around what we know our customer needs,” Duggal adds. “That way, in every interaction — whether it’s on the phone, on social media, or in another setting — we’re making sure people are getting what they need.”
Ensure team connectivity to maximize success
According to Duggal, there is one essential element that’s missing from many of today’s marketing toolkits: team connectivity.
“So many different disciplines fall into the catch-all phrase of ‘marketing,’” she says. “But in reality, marketing teams need to be connected and aligned to a single purpose: to drive business.”
To achieve long-term success, marketing campaigns must succeed in serving clients on a large scale, across all disciplines. This means that an organization's marketers — whether working in separate departments or in disparate specializations — also need to ensure they’re connected and all taking aim at the same target.
“We have to make sure the art as well as the science play an integrated and connected role,” Duggal says. “That’s how we’re going to maximize our success.”
Did you enjoy the content? Want to hear more about the importance of understanding your audience to drive success? Listen to the full Business to Human episode with Radhika Duggal, Chief Marketing Officer at Super.