It rears its head time and again, but how often do we sit up and take notice?

Success is about solving problems, scratching the itch: even creating a problem, unbeknown to your community, that you can solve.

If it’s that simple, why are businesses going to the wall at an alarming rate of knots?

Because they don’t know where to scratch.

In the quest for perma-remarkability, we need to set up our stall based on the solid firmament of:

• Desired product or service
• Exceptional quality
• The right location
• Exquisite customer service
• Value.

How do we find the need – or create it?

We need to know the customer more intimately than they know themselves.

We do this by putting ourselves where they are (location).

If you’re passionate about your product or service, you know whether your community is more likely to hang out on a forum or at a football game. You know when they’re likely to purchase because you’ve done your market analysis. If you haven’t, then you ask them.

Ask. Is that too much to ask? Build up the customer relationship with an introduction to your value-packed proposition. Yesterday’s cost of gaining customer credibility was free samples. Today it’s gaining perception of value through relationship-building. Customers today want minimum-fuss, maximum confidence.

Deliver this through every interaction – through the creation of simple but effective customer touchpoint processes (think of something like SugarCRM to record every granule of your customer liaisons) – and you’re on the home run.

Effect the perception of you going the extra mile, without charging extra, and the bond between you and your customer appertains to something like friend-friend. Get them to share their experiences one day, share their appreciation of your services the next. Listen, learn, grow.

So now we have the beginnings of an effective strategy for success, it’s over to you.

• Talk to your customers about how amazing they are, and how your amazing service is a perfect fit and will make them amazinger.
• Create a community that consists of proud, dynamic and driven individuals. Make sure your internal team is part of it.
• Create an experience that lasts longer than the face-to-face interaction. Use Facebook, use forums, use anything that can connect your customer to your brand and service, when they least expect it – but most need it.
• Build a blog, launch a podcast. Always overdeliver. Even in this day and age, these features are relatively new when you move outside of geek.

Be the best.