Ask any business leader or salesperson if they’re customer-focused, and you’ll get a confident “Yes"

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: many aren’t, at least, not in the way their customers would recognise

In his book Brand Desire – Spark Customer Interest Using Emotional Insights, Kevin Perlmutter explains a subtle but crucial difference: we often think we’re customer-focused, but in reality, we’re speaking from an inward-facing perspective

Kevin shares a great example

An arts centre once used the strapline “Staging the amazing” which sounds great, until you realise it’s all about them

He helped them shift to “Yours to discover” now, that’s about the customer’s experience

I’ve seen this misstep everywhere

One company proudly promoted its strapline: “We consult differently.” It’s a nice sentiment but again, it’s all about how they work, not what the customer gains

And LinkedIn? It’s littered with inward-focused content:

Posts about internal conferences

Announcements about the “best SKO we’ve ever had!”

Event stands plastered with “us, us, us.”

Here’s the reality, buyers don’t care if you had the best SKO ever

In fact, if they’re a client, they might wonder if the money they spent with you was blown on beer, streamers, and ticker tape instead of improving the product they’re paying for

Conclusion

If your messaging starts with we, our, or us, chances are you’re talking to yourself, not your customers

True customer focus is about making them the hero of the story, showing not what you do, but what they gain

Flip the lens outward, and you’ll spark far more desire, trust, and sales