Do You Treat Your Customers The Way You Treat Your Spouse?

by tpw
16 replies
Do You Treat Your Customers
The Way You Treat Your Spouse?

LOL

"Of course I do, I love my spouse and I love my customers..."

:p

Do you have any idea where I am getting ready to go with this question?

Relationship psychologists talk about this phenomena now and again, and I find it interesting, and oh so true...

When we are courting, we ALWAYS put our best foot forward...

We shower before every date... We make ourselves attractive in the physical and spiritual sense, and in our demeanor...

While dating, we are very attentive to the needs and desires of the person we are with...

And then we marry, and it all starts to go downhill...

We have won the game... We no longer need to compete to win, because we have already won...

I must confess... I am guilty of the same thing myself...

Once we are married, we focus less of our energy on the spouse... We stop always putting our best foot forward.... We don't worry about our demeanor towards our spouse...

She is trapped in a marriage with me... Why do I have to try to impress her? LOL

Not all of us fall into this trap completely... Many of us will keep up a lot of the appearances we made, when we were trying to impress our spouse, before they became our spouse...

But to be honest, I have put on 30 lbs since I got married... And she has put on 120 lbs.

I used to give up full evenings, just so I could sit and talk with her about the oddest of things... These days, we don't try as hard to sit down and enjoy one another, but of course that is really hard to do with three boys running around demanding our time...

We don't even do those things that mommies and daddies are known to do with one another as often, because kids are always interrupting the festivities... After a time, we just give up on private time, when we have two kids that wake up multiple times through the night...

I can assure you that my wife has told me far too many times, "Stop! Stop! One of the kids is coming..."

!@&*^#

LOL

After several years, I gave up on trying to convince her to let the kid stand outside our bedroom door crying...

Ten years later, we are not married to the same people we courted, and they are not married to the same person who courted them...

Does this happen in the course of your business?

Do you treat new customers better than long-time customers?

I'd like to believe that I treat all of my customers equally well and as well as I did ten years ago...

But, I look at how my marriage has evolved over the last decade, and I cannot help but think that I may be doing the same thing in my business relationships...



Since you have likely not done business with me for most of the last ten years, it is not right for us to talk about me...

So let's talk about "us" and how each of us do this in our personal and business relationships...

And more important, let's talk about strategies we use to avoid having this happen in our personal and business relationships...
#business #customers #relationships #spouse #treat
  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Cheetah
    Originally Posted by tpw View Post

    Do You Treat Your Customers
    The Way You Treat Your Spouse?

    LOL

    "Of course I do, I love my spouse and I love my customers..."

    :p

    Do you have any idea where I am getting ready to go with this question?

    Relationship psychologists talk about this phenomena now and again, and I find it interesting, and oh so true...

    When we are courting, we ALWAYS put our best foot forward...

    We shower before every date... We make ourselves attractive in the physical and spiritual sense, and in our demeanor...

    While dating, we are very attentive to the needs and desires of the person we are with...

    And then we marry, and it all starts to go downhill...

    We have won the game... We no longer need to compete to win, because we have already won...

    I must confess... I am guilty of the same thing myself...

    Once we are married, we focus less of our energy on the spouse... We stop always putting our best foot forward.... We don't worry about our demeanor towards our spouse...

    She is trapped in a marriage with me... Why do I have to try to impress her? LOL

    Not all of us fall into this trap completely... Many of us will keep up a lot of the appearances we made, when we were trying to impress our spouse, before they became our spouse...

    But to be honest, I have put on 30 lbs since I got married... And she has put on 120 lbs.

    I used to give up full evenings, just so I could sit and talk with her about the oddest of things... These days, we don't try as hard to sit down and enjoy one another, but of course that is really hard to do with three boys running around demanding our time...

    We don't even do those things that mommies and daddies are known to do with one another as often, because kids are always interrupting the festivities... After a time, we just give up on private time, when we have two kids that wake up multiple times through the night...

    I can assure you that my wife has told me far too many times, "Stop! Stop! One of the kids is coming..."

    !@&*^#

    LOL

    After several years, I gave up on trying to convince her to let the kid stand outside our bedroom door crying...

    Ten years later, we are not married to the same people we courted, and they are not married to the same person who courted them...

    Does this happen in the course of your business?

    Do you treat new customers better than long-time customers?

    I'd like to believe that I treat all of my customers equally well and as well as I did ten years ago...

    But, I look at how my marriage has evolved over the last decade, and I cannot help but think that I may be doing the same thing in my business relationships...



    Since you have likely not done business with me for most of the last ten years, it is not right for us to talk about me...

    So let's talk about "us" and how each of us do this in our personal and business relationships...

    And more important, let's talk about strategies we use to avoid having this happen in our personal and business relationships...

    Impressive and funny post
    Well I am not coming into the discussion for now but I would like to mention that life completely changes after marriage.
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  • Profile picture of the author gotti3636
    Great post!

    I must admit, I think I actually treat my long term customers better than my new customers. It is hard to keep a customer for a long period of time without continuing to impress them!
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    • Profile picture of the author sanssecret
      Relationships are funny things. Sometimes it's more about moving on than it is about not trying to impress.

      I look back at some of the blokes I used to think were the bees knees and wonder what the heck I was ever thinking about? :confused:Your tastes change, your interests change, your priorities change... everything changes. Not everyone in your life is going to change in the same direction or within the same timeframe as you.

      Depending on your business model, the same thing is going to happen with customers. They'll move on and you'll have to replace them. Or you'll move on and decide you don't want that type of customer anymore.

      I've met quite a few folks over the years, been taken in by more than a few who managed to 'impress' me when I first started out. Nowadays, I'm not so easily impressed.

      The biggest mistake I see people making once they get me as a 'customer' (especially if I'm a free one), is taking me for granted. Bad move. Very bad move.
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    • Profile picture of the author ava681
      I also treat my long time customers with priority. I try to give them as much discount and as much freebies as I can and in return they refer to me a lot of new clients, build up my reputation even before the new customer has even met me .
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    • Profile picture of the author yacubmk
      You should always keep your customers happy
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    I see a trend running here...

    Many are suggesting that they treat long-term customers better...

    So are we not trying hard enough to impress new people?

    And since a couple of folks have not mentioned the personal relationships, are we acknowledging guilt there?

    I understand discounts for long-term customers... I do that too...

    But outside of pricing, are we still treating long-term customers better? And why aren't we treating new customers equally as well?

    Just food for thought folks...
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    Gosh Bill, I hope I don't treat my customers the same way...

    I really don't want to help wash their clothes, hold their hand in the delivery room, etc...

    I understand your sentiment, though. Throughout all my years working in IT Service I always had to argue with sales people that my EXISTING clients were MORE valuable than their POTENTIAL clients. I knew my exiting clients purchased from us consistently. I knew they would be back tomorrow, the next day, and next year if I treated them as special as they truly are.

    Those existing clients contributed to 90% of our bottom line every year, but in the eyes of sales people they often received only 15% of their attention. (Probably explains why a large percentage of the clients I serviced refused to talk to the sales people and would only talk to me.)

    On the flip side, when I went into a new clients office I always tried to treat them as extra special, just the way I treated all of my existing clients. Some times it completely unnerved them. They were not used to someone walking into their office and asking prying questions about their business. They were not accustomed to a service person sitting down and asking about their family. It puzzled them when I would take a quote from one of our sales team and tell them not to buy it. Somehow within a few months they joined those long term clients who called about everything. (Yes, the sales people in our office knew they had to sell me first, not the clients. It was amazing how this increased profits.)

    I hope I can treat a new client just as well as I treat an established client, the ones I have a great relationship with, care about, and enjoy. (Kind of like my wife...)

    Barry

    P.S. I have a gut feeling your existing clients are treated pretty darn well...something just kind of oozes off your posts...
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  • Profile picture of the author myeanne
    Definitely. Customers are now part of your life. It's a give and take relationship.
    Both of you can't function properly, if you're not helping and taking care of each other.
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    I think you make a very valid point. I've put a lot of effort into maintaining my marriage. I've actually worked WAY harder than I did in courting days. I think I actually deserve pretty high marks there. But I'm just starting in business and my customers.... well I hadn't really thought about rekindling the flame or maintaining it. Like I said, you make a good point that's worth thinking about.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike Grant
    Nope. I make my customers understand that if they get to be a PITA, I'll drop them.
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  • Profile picture of the author grannywriteswell
    I definitely don't treat my clients like my spouse I listen to my clients, I do what they ask me to do, I meet deadlines and go out of my way for them - I don't do any of that for my husband. Okay joking aside I do see what you mean, but I have learned in both business and love that it never pays to take anybody for granted so my clients get consistently good service over the long term; and my husband, well he gets a lot of perks for keeping me happy - I buy him stuff with the money I make

    Good post
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  • Profile picture of the author Carol_A
    Balance is key. I help my subscribers in many ways but can be over-ridden with 'requests for help emails' asking for specific help on how to set up a blog, what plug in to use, etc.

    Where do you draw the line? How much time do you invest in treating your customers like you would want to be treated?

    So, you treat your "Buyers list" differently than your "subscribers list?"

    Just thinkin' here . . .
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  • Profile picture of the author yourreviewer
    Originally Posted by Richard Odell View Post

    No... I keep my business life apart from my private life.

    I give love to my family and courtesy to my customers.

    So what are you are getting at?

    Because the line is pretty well defined in normal business practice.
    Did you READ the post?
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Richard Odell View Post

    No... I keep my business life apart from my private life.

    I give love to my family and courtesy to my customers.

    So what are you are getting at?

    Because the line is pretty well defined in normal business practice.

    I don't sleep with my customers, nor go to their mothers' house for Thanksgiving... So yes, I do separate family from business relationships down very well-defined lines.

    But this post was never intended to suggest that you should treat customers like family.

    It was only intended to spark a conversation about the relationships we keep with our customers and how those relationships may change over time...

    Did you think I was talking about something else?
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    I agree that relationships are important anywhere you go whether they are biz relationships or personal relationships. they are alll good to have because that is the basis of human nature. Being social and being nice will help anyone succeed because we do live in a social society. We would not survive without eachother.
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