There’s an old saw. Wait – more than an old saw – it’s truth – right?  “The customer is always right.”  You’ve heard it, and most likely, you’ve incorporated it into your business philosophy.  Everybody has.

But you know what? This truth isn’t always true.  Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s in London, is credited with starting this idea as a way to inspire a higher level of customer service in his employees.  And it may be a great bit of wisdom for retail and other product-oriented businesses

But in my world – the world of high performance consulting, the customer (or client, as we like to call them), is definitely not always right. If they were, they wouldn’t need a consultant. If they were “right” then they would never take my advice. 

Think about it.  Why would an intelligent business owner hire an expert, of any kind, if all they wanted was validation of whatever way they were currently doing things. (Sounds a bit like Corporate America hiring McKinsey or Accenture as a CYA strategy, doesn’t it?)   No, the customer is not always right, and it’s a good thing too.

It’s time to blow the whistle on this lie and stop acting like it meant something. Any consultant who thinks he or she should pander to what their client thinks is “right” should be fired immediately.