We -- An Idea Whose Time Has Come

In my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations, I suggest that successful businesses and the people who lead them have four things in common.

• Successful businesses and the people who lead them develop and communicate a clarity or purpose and direction.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them engage the full commitment of everyone in the organization.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them skillfully execute the things that matter.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with important outside constituencies.

Customers are an important constituency.  That’s why I found Steve Yastrow’s new book, We: The Ideal Customer Relationship.

I am a big fan of the “We” concept.  My friend, Judith Glaser, wrote an excellent book called Creating We in 2005.  In that book, Judith explored the concept of “We” as it pertains to building an engaged and committed workforce.  If you’re a leader or a small business owner and you haven’t read it, you should.  You’ll get great ideas on how to develop a “we culture” in your organization.

Steve Yastrow applies the “We” concept to building strong customer relationships.  At the beginning of the book, he points out that most businesses think of customer relationships as “Us and Them”.  According to Mr. Yastrow, this type of thinking is adversarial, less pleasant and leaves money on the table.

Here are some of his thoughts on the difference between “Us and Them” and “We” thinking when it comes to customer relationships.

Us and Them Relationships

• Customer decisions are based on price, quality of service and product.
• You are a product or a provider.
• You do things FOR your customer.
• You have similar relationships with other customers.
• The amount of business you do together can go up or down without warning.
• You each devote limited attention to the relationship.
• The relationship’s potential is limited.

We Relationships

• Customer decisions are based on past history of doing business with you.
• You are a collaborator.
• You do things WITH your customer.
• You have a unique relationship with every customer.
• Your future is more predictable.
• You each are willing to devote substantial attention to the relationship.
• The relationship’s possibilities are boundless.

Mr. Yastrow suggests that the best way to begin building a “We” relationship with your customers is to begin having customer “encounters”, rather than transactions.  He says that customer encounters have three basic elements: engagement in the moment, conversation and uniqueness.  He says, “When these three elements are present, a mere interaction can become a lasting encounter, a building block of a We relationship.”

I like this book.  One of the reasons I like it is because for years, I have been practicing what Mr. Yastrow preaches – without having a name for it.  Also, I think that he and Judith Glaser are on to something.  “We” is a powerful concept whose time has come. 

The common sense point here is simple.  A “We” mindset opens up lots of potential in customer relationships.  “Us and Them” thinking – whether in dealing with customers, or the people you lead -- is a thing of the past.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.SuccessCommonSense.com for common sense advice on becoming the career and life success you are meant to be and to get a copy of my new ebook Star Power: Common Sense Ideas for Career and Life Success.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.

Comments

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An idea can change your life sir g ;)