Chief marketing officers are uniquely situated between customers and their fellow executives: Their roles already revolve around engaging customers, while their status within an organization gives them the authority to head up initiatives to improve the customer experience.
Those initiatives, per Strategy+Business, must be cross-functional, with marketing officers rallying all C-level leaders behind them. Here are three reasons why:
1. Individual perceptions are limited: Customers have diverse habits and priorities, so a diverse array of input is necessary to develop a strategy to serve them. Even executives far removed from customer interaction can provide invaluable insights on trends in customer behavior, as well as personal opinions that may mirror those of underserved customer groups.
2. Underrepresented executive groups might be exceptional forecasters: Studies have shown that female leaders are often better at predicting changes in customer preferences and attitudes than their male counterparts, a finding that could easily be extrapolated to cover executives from all minority groups. Marketing chiefs should therefore actively seek input from minority executives for an extra competitive edge.
3. Practice makes perfect: Whether an executive is predisposed to making extremely accurate prediction or not, their abilities can be improved with regular practice. By including leaders from across the organization in brainstorming sessions regarding customer behavior and experience, the entire executive team will be better equipped to anticipate and capitalize on shifts in customer trends.
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