Bit of grand title I know, but here’s my view.  Marketing is all about trying to put yourself in the shoes of your customer, because they should drive everything you should do.  It genuinely should be all about them and not all about you, so that ‘here’s a product we invented, now who can we sell it to’ changes to ‘we’re seeing customers move in this direction, how can we help them do that?’.

It occurs to me that this approach helps us in relationships and in fact in any social or behavioural situation.  Disagreements emerge from differences of opinion and misunderstandings of peoples’ priorities.  If only we could put ourselves in the shoes of the other person, we would find it easier to understand where they’re coming from, and what they want.

Sounds blissfully easy, but how many of us really engrain it into our behaviour?  I’m not talking about necessarily putting others first and being altruistic to the point of self-denial.  It’s more about being aware, being conscious, and being in sync.

So here’s to more productive negotiations, less arguments, happier customers, longer partnerships, and a bit more harmony in the world.