Whenever I’m talking to or dealing with MNCs, I feel like they live on another planet - they run by rules that are completely different from the basic "universal" set of rules that govern businesses and their relationships with customers.

While everywhere in the world the customer has a place of very high importance to a business’s life, the truth is that the customer really doesnt matter to an MNC.

Maybe its because customers are assumed and taken for granted (like in FMCG firms), or because the day-to-day decisions made by individual in departments in that company dont immediately affect business or customer relationships. The truth is that I’ve seen a number of MNCs willing to make decisions that make customers unhappy to serve "greater" goals - e.g. one of the points of view I hear is "We cant always please customers… look we’re a global company, we have a brand to protect."

Does that sentence make anyone else’s brain twist around itself and feel like exploding?

So when I inquire more about this thinking, there’s some even more brain-squeezing revelations that result.

One of the common themes I pick up whenever I bring up consumer orientation is "Hah - if we become consumer oriented one day, the next day hundreds of people will be criticizing our firm - you have to realize we dont want to make this into a ’slap the MNC’ contest"

Err… ok..!?

You mean you have a reason for people to criticize you? You were just telling me that you have great products and customers are happy and life is great, so why worry?

Secondly, why are you afraid of doing some customer service to begin with - everyone has critique, but there’s also a healthy way of facing it - yes you do have a global brand to protect, but that global position of leadership was "given" to you by the consumers because your brand represents the relationship you (should) have with them.

If you have a brand to protect, shouldn’t you be focused on listening to, actively consider and actively acting upon the feedback and criticism that those same customers will have for you?

Thirdly, the business environment just doesnt exist without consumers. We couldn’t have regulatory bodies, trade organizations, SMEs, vendors, suppliers, and MNCs without consumers. Why is a BAD thing, then, if those consumers — those all important beings that must be supported - are TELLING YOU that you arent doing an adequate job?

Someone who’s worked with MNCs in the past as well please tell me - why are they so deathly afraid of consumers?

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