Trust, like, respect: reverberating in my brain

The more I think about it, the more these three simple but enduring concepts are capturing my thoughts about customer service, marketing, and just about everything else.

These three words endure as key criteria of why we choose to do business with someone: regardless of their status as a solopreneur or Fortune 500 company.

And these three words are at the heart of what’s driven business decision-making forever. We’ve just put a lot of fancy, trendy gobbledygook into the equation to look sophisticated, dynamic and forward-thinking.

Bottom line, anything that drives these three concepts works to develop a positive customer relationship. Anything detracting from the three imperils both relationship loyalty and longevity.

We see examples every day. As many know, I frequently give Costco kudos because I trust, like, and respect them. With few exceptions over 23 years, they haven’t let me down. When I searched for new flooring, I settled on a company backed by Costco because I figured their involvement in the equation would help ensure the job was done right.

When you trust, like, and respect a company, it can endure even through rough patches. I’m experiencing one right now with the flooring. Costco is working toward a resolution, which I’ll likely hear about in the coming week.

If I’d hired someone else, I might be facing a “no go, no show” situation—as so many are—in trying to rectify problems.

I also use these three words to assess everything from friendships and collegial relationships to client relationships. I’m fortunate to have trustworthy, likeable, and respectable folks in all three camps. It makes decision-making much easier when I focus on these three qualities instead of getting caught up in over-analysis and rationalization about whether something merits consideration.

As we head further into 2022 with all its yet-to-be-determined twists and turns, try applying these three words to all relationships—and see where you end up. Interestingly, “The Great Resignation” has occurred in part because the lack of trust, like, and respect—long present in so many American workforces—is now coming to a head.

Employees previously unwilling to quit, even though these three qualities were lacking in their employer relationship, are now jumping in droves.

Ultimately, companies meriting trust, like, and respect will endure and thrive—while most everyone else will go the way of the dinosaurs.

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OK folks, it’s a clean slate. New Year. New ideas. New opportunities. Or perhaps it’s actually a return to old values, insights and practices that will do the most good. In customer service, bedrock practices based on historical wisdom always seem to work best. So, with the New Year, let’s look at some of those—and see how best they can apply in today’s hyper-tech, warp-speed information world.

Mark Lusky aka The Happy Curmudgeon