Approaching another year end and the beginning of new visions, expectations and promise, we might just want to take a look at what got us here.

It used to be you could look someone in the eye, get a good idea of what they were like, promise a full day’s pay for a full day’s work and then just get on with it.  Things just aren’t that simple anymore.

What’s wrong?  What is it with people these days?   These ‘relationship’ issues both in our personal life and in business seem to be the critical issues we face day to day and they very well could make or break us.

Soon after WW 11, consumers were hungry for ‘stuff’ - refrigerators, cars, TV’s, stereos, transistor radios.  Manufacturers ran day and night just to keep up with the demand for more and more stuff.  If you were able to nail two things together that had never been nailed before and managed to get it in the Sears catalogue, people lined up to buy it.

Then along came the challenge of the 70’s - Distribution. Because of competition, companies were asking how to get their products and services to their customers faster and cheaper.   Strip malls became a captivating stop on your way somewhere else, until you figured out it was a destination for whatever your heart desired. 

Then the 80’s everything that Japan made worked - their cars, their TVs, their lawnmowers, the stereos, and best of all the stuff really didn’t need warrantees. They learned how to ‘do it right the first time’.  Zero Defect became their unique selling proposition.  So without quality as the watchword, you lost market share.

But then in the ‘90’s the rules were changed by the people at Disney, Federal Express and Nordstrom’s.  They began putting all their energy into how the customer felt and how they were being treated.  It was also abundantly clear that how the customers feels about the process of serving them became the new criteria. Add that to quality and the decade of the customer is here.

Those of us who remember the 50’s still remember “The Customer is always Right”.  We were raised on customer service and even as ‘self serve’ became a movement of its own, we never forgot what we learned about customers.  If they didn’t like how they felt, they moved on and we went without dinner.

Today we are attempting to train ourselves and our employees to get inside the skin of the customer.  Someone wiser than I said “Your employees will only treat your customers as well as you treat them”.

It may be that our single challenge will be our people issues.  Finding that employee who has not been contaminated by TV and understands respect, serving and graciousness. 

Albert Einstein once said “The significant issues we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking you were at when you created them.”    We must be willing to stretch our minds in new and uncomfortable ways to confront the people issues that lie before us.

Now, I realize that this marketing history is not new to you.  It’s not that we should take care of all aspects of our business relationships - the question is ‘how?’  Believe it or not (and thank God for technology) we really can take care of our vital business relationships and that includes your employees.  

At this time of year and if you are like me, you not only reflect on your past year in business but you also anticipate changes in yourself and the way you operate in the coming year.  As a matter of fact, this is always the time of year I write a new business plan for the upcoming year.  It is fun to look back and see what I actually accomplished.

Also, at this time of year, I remember to say thank you. I am reminded of how many times I have or have not thanked my customers during the year; I am reminded of the things that make people feel special and appreciated.  I make it my goal to make my gratitude known. 

Nurturing relationships in business is definitely not for everyone.   We are uniquely designed to become the ‘Relationship’ part of your marketing department.   As such, we create strategies, tactics, and continuous communications with everyone from employees, to prospects, to clients; we automate the plan and then for good measure, we actually do the printing and mailing.   I am a product of the 50’s and customer service was pretty much drilled into me so we focus our attention on writing and implementing the kind of communication that causes people to be astonished. 

May you enjoy the fruits of your labour now and in the years to com