In a fast-paced and high-tech world, efficiency is king. Everyone wants what they want, and they want it fast. Regardless of whether or not that’s a good thing, it’s reality.
But while everyone and everything is getting faster and faster, the real winners are the ones who pause and build meaningful connections with their customers. Those guys get it.
People ≠ numbers
Business should be balanced. It should be both relational & transactional. Today though, things can be almost completely transactional. No connection. No care. Just numbers.
There’s a problem with that.
People are not numbers. They’re people. Real people with personalities, families, and most importantly, problems. Unique problems.
Why does this matter? Because business is all about solving problems.
But, to really understand a problem, you have to invest a bit into understanding the person it belongs to. And you can’t do that unless you slow down and build connections.
A real-life example
Check out this LinkedIn post from Elena Oprea, founder of SelfTalk.
As you can see, she was “pleasantly surprised” to find a handwritten and personalized note from Helix Wireless’ COO.
He took probably just a few minutes to write that note, but with that, he invested in a relationship–an investment that will likely create a lifelong customer.
Think of the domino effect that this will have:
Elena posts this on LinkedIn–her industry-relevant network interacts with it–they see that Helix cares about its customers–they become customers.
Amazing. All of that from a simple thank-you note. Props to Helix Wireless for the absolutely premium customer care.
Understanding the value of people
I want you to notice what Francis wrote at the end of the note–
“You are the best part of our business.”
That is profound. That mindset is priceless. It’s fuel.
If you can get up every day, and build something that, at its core, helps people, then you’ll always have a reason to love what you do, no matter what it is.
If you realize how valuable the people you serve actually are, you’ll always have an edge.
Business doesn’t have to be go-go-go all the time. In fact, it shouldn’t be. It should be balanced. It might be the go-go-go that brings a customer in, but it’s the slowdown that keeps them on board.
So work hard, be efficient, and build something great-those are all good things.
Just don’t forget to stop and write handwritten notes.
John Ciannello 