
The success of an organization depends on its clients' happiness. The ideal is a strategic partnership, where clients consider your organization's representatives part of their management teams. At a minimum, brand loyalty is the goal.
Client commitment to partnership is based on their comfort doing business with you and the value they place on your products.
Symptom: Key clients don't perceive the organization as a strategic partner and direct contributor to their bottom line.
Symptom [internal staff functions only]: Clients would rather do the organization's work themselves than buy from the organization (i.e., pressure for decentralization).
Symptom: Clients would just as soon buy from the organization's competitors (i.e., lack of brand loyalty).
Symptom: Clients resent being so dependent on the organization.
Symptom: Clients are unhappy with the organization's results.