Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. 

– Helen Keller

We launched Drift.com on April 6, 2016, with a vision to transform the way businesses buy from businesses.

While there are many ways to focus a business (product, technology, competitor, business model) we chose to focus the company around our customer-obsession. That choice to be customer-obsessed is what has led to us to go from 0 to over 50,000+ businesses using Drift today.

The thing is, every company in the world will tell you they are customer-driven. They’ll believe in the principle. They’ll have framed posters on the wall about it. “Solve for The Customer.” But none of that means anything unless you actually commit to those relationships, and make the structural decisions to ensure it.

When I rebuilt the product team at HubSpot, back in 2011, I wanted to see if we could get beyond slogans and mantras to structure it in a way that intrinsically placed the customer ahead of everything else. I made a few decisions, in form, process and culture, that were designed to safeguard the team against misdirection and ensure that customers remained central. And I doubled down on that at Drift.

That is one of the reasons why we don’t have product road maps at Drift — and why our Customer team looks for the skills and experiences that those who have worked in the hospitality space bring to the table. It’s also why I believe in learning not just from our experiences with our Drift customers — but the experiences we have when we are the customer.

And this isn’t just a numbers game. Growth is measured as much by the depth of the relationships we form as the number of people we touch. (Click to Tweet this).

As we continue to grow, we must fight hard to preserve this obsessive focus and remember that serving customers doesn’t mean your customers will always be happy. In fact, some will generally be unsatisfied most of the time. It’s hard — but that is also our opportunity.

How will you work to better serve your customers this week?

– DC