And Forrester's Marketing 2016 Europe forum is under way!

Forum host Melissa Parrish just kicked off our two days in London by acknowledging that ideas related to customer obsession aren't new per se.  John Spedan Lewis, originated the John Lewis Partnership in 1929 which distributed profits from the John Lewis department stores to employees, specifically so that employees would be invested in delivering exceptional customer service.  What is new today is that the post-digital climate has raised customer expectations from brand experiences and introduced new, faster ways for businesses to get customers what they want in their moment of need.

So how can you — as a marketing leader at your organization — drive customer obsession and post-digital strategies?

James McQuivey presented the answer to this question based on his most recent research Leadership In The Age of The Customer.

How leaders act has more influence on business culture and transformation than who they are or what they say.  Customer obsessed leaders specifically:

  • Measure customer obsessed behavior
  • Reward people for performing against those metrics
  • Unblock performance inhibitors by removing obstacles
  • Model customer obsessed behaviors that they want employees to demonstrate
  • Provide resources

In my morning keynote tomorrow, I will be addressing how demonstrating the actions James highlighted will help your brand be more Human, Helpful and Handy — the key characteristics of post-digital marketers.  Can't wait!