Symptom: Our marketing strategy does not encourage clients' self-sufficiency.
A marketing strategy of building dependence works well if loyalty is built through value delivered. But when unnecessary dependencies are created (e.g., license restrictions that reduce a product's usability, or corporate policies that give internal staff groups unnecessary power), resentment is built and the partnership is damaged. As resentment grows, loyalty dwindles until the only reason to do business is the restriction. When that disappears, through a competitive offering or deregulation, the organization quickly loses market share.
A restrictive marketing strategy is short-sighted. A better approach is to partner with clients in a way that maximizes their well-being, while profiting from the organization's intellectual capital and that which it can do better.
Thinking about the customers' well being should come naturally. If it does not, the problem is a lack of customer focus.
Another (more generic) way to state the problem is as follows:
