Having been in corporate America and now as a small business owner too, there is a theme that I keep bumping into that I thought I would share. It is all about relationships. My relationship with my venders, my venders relationship with me, my customers relationship with their customers, my relationships with my customers. We all interact differently – we all see and expect things in unique ways. Understanding our differences, meeting each others expectations, clearly communicating – these are all relationship things. And how well I manage my relationships can make or break the business.
It’s easy to get focused on your products, on managing the money, on doing what you do – but if you forget to consider how your actions are impacting others, you may focus yourself right out of your business. Sounds simple; I know. But I’ve learned that occassionally I have to remind myself this simple truth. There are times when I am so focused on developing products or packing orders, that I am not paying attention to some of the simple things that might actually make life easier.
Some times it is easier to shoot off an email, but what folks may really want / need is to talk to you. Some times you can get caught in trying to win an arguement and not solving the problem – I can tell you that with customers – this is a death spiral you don’t want to get in. While we are business owners, we are also just human. We are not perfect – well, at least I’m not. Mistakes do happen, miscommunication does happen – be ready for this. It’s how you manage through this that will either keep you and your business in a positive place with your customers or will send you into a free fall to closing your business. And while our customers are not always right – they are always our customers.
Since starting my own business as far as relationships go, I have learned
- To listen much better
- To actually hear what is being said while I’m listening
- To pay attention to what I hear while I’m listening (see a theme here?)
- To say “I’m sorry” in a way that translates into an apology that is meaningful
- To say “Thank you” and “I appreciate you” in ways that, too, are meaningful
- To not take myself so seriously…. seriously
So, long story short – I talk to my customers, my venders, my employees the way I want to be talked to. I really try to listen (always learning to do better with this one) to folks and be genuine in my interactions with them. And I realize (and have for quite some time) that I’m far from perfect… so I accept that everyone around me isn’t perfect either… and that is totally ok.
