The King!!!

“Customer is King, Customer is god, and Customer is not a moron”. Don’t worry friends; I am not going to discuss the same thing again and again. I am going to share my story of searching King Feeling and hankering of ruling the place.

The desire of becoming a king takes place in my mind during one of my lecture at AICAR Business School, when faculty passes the standard statement that we should treat “customers as king”. The statement remains in my mind and I start searching the marketers who can possibly treat me as a King.

I visit many places spending time and money with only one fancy of becoming King. From pizza hut to local pizza vendor, superstore to kiranastore, I drink Pepsi; I drink Coke. Buy Levis, Arrow and jockey. I search, search and search…. at crossword, at landmark, pantaloon and Westside. I used vodaphone, I used Airtel but everywhere the one thing is missing, the king feeling, of ruling the place for at least few minutes. I was very disappointed with everything, The King feeling is not allowing me to think anything else. Wherever I go I start behaving as if I am the King of that Place, and start commanding. But everywhere people treat me as a customer. I was a more valuable customer or less valuable customer but I am just a customer not the “King”.

After all these, one very fine day waiting for my friend at Cafe Coffee Day and having Iced Eskimos, thinking of my professor, thinking of kotler, Gandhiji, and possibly all those who told and believe that “Customer Is King”. And does this Practice actually follow by marketers, and finally I came to a conclusion that “Customers are not King”

Yes, Customers are not King. But then someone has to be King, someone has to take decision, someone has to command. So, the question is who will be the new king?

Marketers, Yes marketers are the “Real King”. I know you all are thinking that it is not possible. But once you complete reading this, you may change your views.

So…..Understand the responsibilities of King. He has to look after his empire and his people. If we choose marketer as a king of his empire then he has no limitation on fulfilling the demand of the customers (People), King has power to go out of the way and help the customers(If King desires to do so).

While in first case when customers are King, Marketers are just normal villager, who tries to satisfy King’s demand but King has never-ending demands and can’t be fulfill by any normal villager.

Now take this assumption and put it one step ahead how will king built his empire. He needs soldiers, farmers, traders, advisors etc. In short he needs society to increase his power compare to other emperor. Therefore if HUL is one FMCG king, he has to be more powerful then the other FMCG kings otherwise, ITC or any other FMCG king will come and take over his empire (Customers).

If my assumption is true, then king must need army to save his empire. So, there are certain numbers of loyal customers who spread the good things about company to others and help his emperor in conquering (Bringing new customers) other empire. Similarly there are different criteria for different type of customers. There are customers who purchases very rarely are the normal villagers i.e.: farmers, labours etc, there are customers who are very rich and buy your products very often are the key customers can be classified as traders in the village. Now, King also needs people to love and live with him; those are the employees of his organisation can be classified as queen, prince, princess or other royal family members.

Now, this is what I believe and I hope at least some of you have changed your views after reading it. So please share your valuable thoughts.