Why You Need a Customer Mission Statement if You Want a Successful Organization Traditional mission statements focus on the company, not the customer. To create a more customer-centric organization, start with changing your mission statement by giving it an external focus.

Earlier this year, I attended a national marketing conference, where a bevy of speakers discussed methods for more effectively connecting, engaging and communicating with customers. While all of their presentations were informative, there was a singular, consistent theme throughout — it was all about us.

"Us" as companies, "us" as marketers, "us" as employees, with the challenge of satisfying the needs of our organization.

The true needs and perspectives of the customer weren't part of the conversation. Never discussed were how to better address customers' goals, identify unmet customer needs, or create added value for the customer. Rather, promotion and awareness building were the be-all and end-all.

Related: Tweak Your Company's Mission Statement to Inspire Sustainability

But this is not out of the ordinary.

While many organizations emphasize the importance of customers, few effectively incorporate this into the mindset and day-to-day behaviors of their organization and its employees.

This problem starts at the very beginning – with an organization's mission statement.

A traditional company mission statement communicates a business's fundamental purpose and values. In its simplest form, a mission statement clarifies why your company exists and what its overall goals, values, and differentiators are. A mission is not just a description of your organization, but rather an expression of its leaders' desires and intent. It should guide decision-making and keep the business on track over the long term. However, a lot of organizations have trouble understanding what makes a mission statement useful.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Your Mission Statement Probably Stinks

Take, for instance, the following mission statement, which belongs to the management company behind a popular airport in the U.S.:

"Provide safe, secure, customer friendly, affordable transportation services, and facilities that promote the community experience."

While it's clear that this is the airport's function, it doesn't provide any insight into how the organization is different, how employees should perform, or how (most importantly) they address the needs of the customer.

Your company's mission statement is the nucleus of your company and, by extension, its culture infrastructure. If you can't clearly communicate your purpose for being in business, whom you're serving, and how you are creating value for them, then you most likely won't be able to create an effective organizational culture to support that mission.

Traditional mission statements are typically ineffective for setting this strategic direction and organizational behavior for a variety of reasons. Most are filled with vague and meaningless buzzwords. While this might satisfy a corporate need to be "all things to all people," it provides no direction to the organization regarding its unique, broader purpose.

Take the mission statement from Volvo:

"By creating value for our customers, we create value for our shareholders. We use our expertise to create transport-related products and services of superior quality, safety, and environmental care for demanding customers in selected segments. We work with energy, passion, and respect for the individual."

What does that all mean? Of course, the organization is going to "create value" – everyone does in one way or another. Of course, the company will use its expertise to create products of superior quality, because no one would say the opposite. Working with energy and passion – again, nothing new.

The bottom line is that mission statements like this lack the framework to set and guide organizational behavior around the customer and their unique needs.

Instead, we can start effectively shifting culture and behavior with a solid, clear and differentiating customer mission statement. A customer mission statement articulates your organization's approach to engaging and collaborating with customers for the purpose of helping them more effectively accomplish their objectives.

Related: 5 Reasons Mission Statements (Still) Matter for Startups

A customer mission statement is just as much what it is not about as it is what it's about:

What a customer mission statement isn't about

1. It's not about you (the company)
2. It's not about how you do it (the process)
3. It's not about generic terminology (the corporate speak)

What a customer mission statement is about

1. It is about who you serve (the customers)
2. It is about outcomes (the results)
3. It is about authentic expression (the passion)

There are four distinct components to crafting a comprehensive customer mission statement:

1. Instead of "What we do," ask, "What do customers want to accomplish/achieve?"
2. Instead of "how we do it," ask "how customers want to be served"
3. Instead of "What value do we bring," answer "What impact do we have on our customers?"
4. Instead of "why we do it," ask, "Why do customers care about what we do?"

This shift to a customer mission statement, rather than a traditional mission statement, creates a targeted focus on purpose – through the eyes of the customer. It serves as the foundation for crafting and implementing a true customer-centric organizational strategy.

For example, take Fastenal. An American company based in Winona, Minnesota, they are an industrial supply company that has over 2,600 branches across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. (2018) Here's their traditional mission statement:

"Our mission is to grow our company by providing our customers with a superior offering of products, consumption tracking capabilities, and Reseller Consortium partners. We recognize that supplier diversity is an opportunity for Fastenal to establish a competitive advantage and improve customer satisfaction."

While their motto is "Growth Through Customer Service," their mission statement leaves very little to understanding as to the "how" and "why" from a customer lens. A customer mission statement for Fastenal could instead be designed like the following:

PURPOSE: "Our purpose is to provide customers with the right tools and equipment, that are right for the job, right when they need it."

HOW: "We provide this by consistently expanding offerings through both digital and physical channels, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the customer's job that needs to be done."

OUTCOME: "Our goal is to continually find and deliver new ways to help our customers deliver on their promises."

As this example shows, the shift towards a customer-framed mentality transforms the traditional mission statement into something much clearer and more actionable to employees.