Many businesses seem to forget that people are people and numbers are numbers. As a result, they lose touch with the ‘people‘ side of their business.
Here’s why this is a REALLY bad idea:
It’s People who work for us, buy from us, recommend us and help us – not numbers!
When a business starts regarding people simply as ‘numbers’ on a spreadsheet, customer base or mailing list – it becomes disconnected from those people. This is madness!
Each client, customer, potential client, reader, follower and contact you have is unique. These people have feelings. They have good days and bad days. They have ups and downs. They have days where they want to cry with joy and days where they cry with sorrow. These unique, immeasurably valuable individuals are many things to many people, but they are NOT numbers.
Always focus on the people behind ‘the numbers’ that you use in your business and whenever possible, try to connect with them. Sometimes, something as simple as a sincere offer of help, a quick phone call or even a smile, can turn someone’s day around.
Will this help you grow your business? Quite possibly.
Will it transform the way you FEEL about your business and the way others FEEL about you? Definitely!
Image credit: Kalandrakas
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Great post Jim,
The companies we love are the ones that make us feel special. Big and small, the companies I want to spend my money with are the ones that connect with me.
You’re right. The way a company makes us ‘feel’ is really important. We gravitate toward those people and providers that we feel good about. Thanks for the comment Elizabeth.
I see this all the time, when bigger corporations treat customers like sheep.They forget who pays the salaries and thats the customer.
It’s also common in small companies Colin. I have seen small business owners use photocopied signatures, when sending out half a dozen letters to customers.
How long does it take to sign 6 letters? Seconds.
How long does it take to alienate a customer with a photocopied signature? About the same time.
Thanks for the comment.
I think this is a real issue online and it can be solved by companies using social tools. World of Warcroft for example won my affection by saying you have been heard. I can’t promise we will be able to fix the issue but we will look at it. I almost cried because they took the time to care enough to talk to me.
Godaddy for example called me to tell me I bought something I didn’t need. I will never use another domain company.
If you help someone succeed you have a loyal person for life…. treat me like a person… hear my frustration..
Excellent points Gebadia!
Perfect timing Jim – we all need that reminder!
Must be the FIRST rule of social media too – whether you’re in big business, small business, or social enterprise, personal interaction is the key factor we all need & enjoy!
That’s why I hate auto DMs on twitter, they are NOT personal!
Thanks Jim, Keep ‘em coming!
As you know Howard, I’m not a social media expert, but I do use social media as part of my clients marketing and my own.
You’re spot on that treating people as individuals, rather than a mass, is extremely important. I also dislike auto dm’s for the same reason, it’s impersonal. Thanks for the feedback.
Love this post, Jim! People have to be our focus and how we can help them reach their goals. Getting sloppy in connecting with our client base or not even thinking of them as people produces negative results and doing the opposite by remembering the people side, just as you already said, Will transform the way you FEEL about your business and the way others FEEL about you!
Thank you!
Thanks Julie.
It’s not a coincidence that we prefer to spend money with brands or companies that we feel good about. The ‘feeling’ part of the marketing equation is often overlooked by businesses. As they focus on the numbers, it’s all too easy to overlook the people behind each of those numbers.