Most customers could not give a rats arse about your vision, values, your customer value proposition, and all the other stuff highly paid consultants rant on about (obviously not me).
What they do care about are the little things, the ones that affect them.
I bank with the same bank I have since they were the only ones who would lend me money for a house 35 years ago, and have just not bothered to change, I usually buy the one brand or petrol, not because it makes the car run any better, but because they are around the corner, and the restaurant I go to most is a little suburban French place that does seasonal vegetables in an ever changing vinaigrette as a side. I love it.
I used to always buy my books (yes, I still buy real books) at the same bookshop where one of the staff seemed to be able to read everything that came through the door, and was able to steer me towards stuff I might like with considerable accuracy. Now however, the store owner is cutting costs, staff has been reduced, and the recommendations of the 15 year old casuals are just not up to the mark.
So, before you spend all that money on the marketing consultants with the new bag of clichés, and web enabled tricks, exercise a bit of common sense and consider the small things, why people come to you, why they choose you instead of the place down the road or over the web, how do you deliver value to them, and what keeps them coming back.
It helps to ask, most people are happy to answer honestly, and the simple fact that you care enough to ask is valued.
oh so true – very often is the simple act of showing a desire to care and understand which is pretty simple stuff, and contributes to being accessible