Back in 2007, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky were just two broke students when they came up with an idea to rent out air mattresses. Since then the business grew into one of the most successful accommodation websites, with reported revenues in the billions and operations spanning nearly 200 countries. If the San Francisco listings are browsed today, the sofa of the business's co-founder is available to stay on.
There is a deeper significance to that detail. Chesky renting out his sofa on Airbnb is one of the reasons why the business has been a success. Building a business comes down to many things: timing, and perseverance. However, in the case of many successful founders, it is knowing who the customers are and what they want. Keeping in touch with the base of a company — its product or services — will help keep any detachment at bay.
Understanding How to Improve and Expand
Turning to an instructive allegory, The Emperor's New Clothes is a perfect example of poor business acumen. The emperor has been elevated to the point where he has lost all perspective and all connection to normality — a common affliction amongst CEOs and senior executives. Keeping in touch with the base of a company, its product or services, will help keep that detachment at bay. Communications may be handled by one team, technology by another, but acting as a customer once in a while means keeping a finger on the pulse and identifying areas that need attention.
Companies often have their biggest breakthroughs when implementing a simple, internally generated idea that came directly from the customer's point of view. Businesses that embed the habit of researching what customers are actually searching for, and why, are better placed to make decisions about what to list, build or promote. Seeing things from the customer's point of view can inspire exactly those kinds of insights.
Improve Your Customer Service
Customer service is frequently an area that is miscalculated. Getting it right, however, can transform a business. A good analogy is that a waiter almost always tips in a restaurant — this is a perfect illustration of how empathy can change behaviour in a business relationship. For those running businesses, it is easy to become absorbed in meetings, emails, reviews and more, to the point where the only interaction with a customer is as a number on a screen. It is at this stage that management tends to lose sight of the customer. It becomes hard to think about a number's point of view, or what it wants from a service. Instead it becomes merely a benchmark — a figure for increase.
Becoming a customer of the business changes that. It puts the business back in contact with customers that drove its growth at the beginning. Not only does it reconnect with core support but it also builds understanding of how people are interacting with the company, and consequently how best to appeal to the customer. This is how success stories like BuzzFeed came about. Whilst working at HuffPost, Jonah Peretti spent months monitoring trends in content and URL trails, so that when it came to BuzzFeed's launch, the company knew exactly what its clientele wanted. Their approach demonstrates that a degree of researching the customer can go a long way in advancing a business.
At All Levels
This principle is not just for CEOs and senior Executives. At the top, the role in daily decision-making will necessarily be limited, so it is the team that will head up any new concepts or innovations. If middle management is also adopting the role of customer, they will have the awareness to recognise issues and make changes in areas where they may have the time, or sometimes even the expertise, to deal with personally. From the employee point of view it will also lead to a more positive, proactive office culture. It is something that tech giant Airbnb has been rigorous in encouraging — in all of their offices, conference suites are modelled on the living rooms of the most popular listings in that city's market. It might sound unconventional, but it also keeps everyone focused on the vision of the company.
Be Proud of Your Achievement
There is no end to the business advantages of being a customer of one's own company, but ultimately it should also be enjoyable. Chesky did not list his sofa as a purely strategic PR exercise — he did it because he loved his company's vision and was proud of what had been achieved. Taking a sense of pride in the company and enjoying being part of what has been built is a genuine advantage in maintaining that connection.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
For those interested in Sales, Marketing, Management or Digital Marketing, Professional Academy offers both electronic and printed study materials alongside the opportunity to complete a professional qualification within a timeframe that suits each learner's circumstances. To find out more about the right qualification level, the Qualifications Navigator is a useful starting point, or the Professional Academy team is available to discuss options on a call.
