Subscribe in a readerHenry Ford. "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." [Quotes of the Day]
What evidence do employees and customers have that define their relationships with your company? Business relationships are built on individual actions that create mutual benefit. You can create this evidence through the actions you take that define the quality of your business relationships.
Learn to take the first step toward solving a problem for customers. It doesn't help anyone to debate, study, or even document the problems faced by customers if you aren't taking even the smallest action to solve them. Identify those small steps you can take each day that improve their perceived value of your relationship with them.
Remember, your actions define how people see your behavior. Show employees how you expect them to treat customers by acting in the way you want them to act. People are more likely to do what you do, than what you say, be an example.
If you want to create an ethical organization, you must do things that are consistent with that desired message. This might mean cutting your own pay before expecting employees to tighten up their own. Treat each customer in a fair manner consistent with your corporate mission.
In any effort of optimization, you want to focus on the highest impact activities. Use surveys with both customers and employees to develop an understanding of what is important to these individuals. Test your assumptions with small actions that show you're listening, then share your findings to reinforce your message.
When you test and share, you create tangible evidence of your actions. This evidence helps you build a case for high relationship value by showing benefits gained, lessons learned, and efforts taken. Start with what you already know, do things that will be noticed, and take action in areas of interest to your intended audience.
Most of all, understand that ...
Quality relationships are built on what you have done, not what you're going to do.
/ executive-relations | management-strategy /
By Justin Hitt at March 31, 2004 2:58 PM
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