Think of Consumers Like Family

Think about grandparents or newborns in your family. How do you treat them?

Ideally, you treat them as though they are precious and they mean the world to you. You keep in mind that they are fragile, life is fragile, and you are focused in on every thing they say and do. You recognize that you are in the presence of a living miracle– it’s a miracle for a child to be born and for an elderly person to still be alive today. Thus you treasure your interactions with them.

The same should be true of your consumers. Customer service always turns into a frustrated tug of war to be heard; when either party has the wrong perspective. Often founders/employers may feel as though their marketing campaign was so effective that consumers shouldn’t have any questions. They can feel as though consumers are repeatedly asking the same questions, asking questions covered in the FAQ section of their website, or that they are behaving inappropriately. There is an opportunity daily to resent your position of authority as it requires that you handle complaints, mishaps, and a large number of questions. I encourage you to reconsider your stance.

If a child you love asked you ten questions about your life growing up or if a friend disagreed with your business model, would you still feel agitated? Would you be so susceptible to ‘giving them a taste of their own medicine’? Would you still desire to walk away from the conversation? My guess is that you’d find you had enough patience and desire to talk it out with a loved one. Consumers should be graced with the same amount of care and patience.

It is possible that their questions demonstrate a lack of clarity on your part. Their comments may reveal things you hadn’t thought about when designing your product/business. Your interactions with consumers represent conversations with the very people you built your brand for. You built your brand/company to serve the public; so when they respond, take it with a grain of salt. Smile and recognize that you are privileged to be where you are, receive feedback from people who want the best for you, and that it’s great to have interaction with those you seek to serve. After all, it helps you serve that much better!

It’s an amazing thing to be able to do what you love and inspire others through your process. It is something that not everyone is able to do. The best thing you can do for yourself and for your business is: view it all as service. Consistently ask yourself how you can better serve people and the communities your mission revolves around. Ask yourself how you can grow as a person and leader. Ask your team how you can better equip them to reach the vision you’ve decided on. Growing your business from the inside out is always beneficial. In turn, it allows your consumers to see just how much they matter to you. Consumers repay careful consideration with brand loyalty.

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