Why Customer Intimacy?
Customer intimacy is the largest source of your growth, sustainable competitive advantage, and profit. Everyone in your organization should practice it. Customer-intimate companies bring an entirely fresh perspective. They discover unsuspected problems, detect unrealized potential, and create a dynamic synergy with customers. They often merge their operations with those of their customers. In the integration of their operations, suppliers become more than merely useful: They become indispensable.1 Customer Intimacy As a Competitive Advantage Businesses have traditionally relied on technology and product innovation for competitive advantage. However, as products became commodities due to global competition and relentless technological advances, the battleground for differentiation and customer value creation shifted to customer intimacy and service. This service-focused competitive strategy has worked well for numerous companies across various industry sectors. Case in Point Dell Inc. M
