Meeting the Customer on Their Ground

Although we live in a remarkable age where we can virtually be anywhere in the world in milliseconds, thanks to the World Wide Web, you may find that you do better in meeting your client face to face. There is a positive human emotion that comes out, and we stop seeing people as objects and start to see them as people. We find ourselves viewing a kindred spirit, rather than looking at a picture on the screen.

Sometimes it is just physically impossible to be there in person. And sometimes, you just have to work around the difficulty of understanding what not being there represents. If you can be there, even if only for a significant action or a start, you will find it makes a world of difference. You have a much closer relationship and a more in-depth understanding of those with whom you have spent even a little time.

If you live in the middle of the United States and are working with people from India or Siberia, it is tough and expensive to get there. However, I know people in Colorado Springs who fly to China to talk with the factory owners who build their products. Being able to speak face-to-face removes a lot of assumptions and gives us a better feeling of what is going on, and how we can help to make things better.

Quite often, in business, we have to send deliverables to other people. To complete those deliverables, we have other manufacturers who have to send the products to us first. I believe this makes us all part of one large shipping chain. And if our customer doesn’t know us personally, they measure us based on the quality of goods and timely delivery.

Even in life coaching and other work which is dependent upon reaching and helping people, our deliverables are often timeliness, understanding, caring, and truthfulness. People will measure us based on our work, no matter what it is, or how it is sent to them. How would you feel if you received a worksheet to accomplish that held even a few grammar and spelling mistakes?

I believe that each time one person interacts with another, either way, they always leave an impact. I have something for you to think about today. What type of impression do you want others to have of you?

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof