When I was a young guy working in a large corporation, the old-timers were always saying, “Things sure aren’t like they were in the good old days; back then you could build relationships and they would last” (or words to that effect).
A few decades later, I was listening to an old-timer complain that “Loyalty is dead as a door-nail…nothing like the old days.” Here’s an educated guess: a few decades from now somone will be complaining about the passing of the good old days. So here’s some common sense truth: today is tomorrow’s good old days, and we’d better make the best of it. AND someone today is figuring out exciting ways to build serious loyalty, not just with the new-fangled like Twitter and Facebook, but also in well established fields.
This is likely true: it’s harder today to get attention than back in some prior era’s good old days. BUT, we have communication tools they didn’t have. It’s tough to overcome customers’ excessive focus on price when battling a tough economy; but somewhere in every bad economy is a new chance to serve in a new way. People need to spend money smarter, not cheaper per se; and in that truth lies opportunity.
Is loyalty dead? No. Is it harder work than it used to be? Probably so. So what should we do? Complain about the passing of the good old days, or work harder to find and execute creative ways to build loyalty? What are the steps?
- Execute flawlessly
- Care obviously
- Communicate regularly
- Serve creatively
- And never let ‘em see you sweat; even when times are tough.
