Customers: Lernaean Hydra Syndrome

As an entrepreneur, dealing with some customer is quite challenging. Your goal is to offer a premium value that gives their business an edge at a competitive price, and as you do so, you observe the following:

Some customers wants you to do more than what they pay for (products or services rendered), well that might not be an issue because it shows that you are adding value to their business or operations. However, when such customer does not appreciate the extra effort (at least by words) that when it’s morally wrong and frustrating. Knowing that you want your services to stand-out, should one keep on attending to such customers with same effort or minimal effort?

Another observation is that: Some customers will never be satisfied. Though this might be influenced by the changing nature of business operation or market trends, an entrepreneur having a foresight of these changes has an advantage. The worst for an entrepreneur is having a nagging customer and your woes are compounded when the exceptional cliché “The customer is always right” is used despite the extra effort. How then does one tackle these many problems, which are not directly yours?

This customer behavioral pattern of bringing problems that were not there is what I term as the Lernaean Hydra Syndrome. The Lernaean Hydra (aka Hydra) is a mythical reptile creature with many heads, and for every head cut-off two more grew. This is depicted in the famous Walt Disney animated film Hercules, though defeated by causing a landslide attack, not by cutting off it heads.

Business expert say having a Service Level Agreement with prospective customers will suffice as solution; but in this present market, an entrepreneur reaching agreements with customers is more time consuming than offering the services or products, even when there is an agreement, it is not totally enforced. Hence for start-ups and entrepreneurs the Lernaean Hydra Syndrome lingers on as they try to create a niche for themselves.