Publisher: Rutledge Hill Press®
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The Importance of Others
“Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
—The
Golden Rule
When James Cash Penney began his Golden Rule stores, the name of the business reflected his commitment to serving his customers. Various restatements of this rule are the guiding force behind many successful enterprises, from Digital Equipment Corporation to Mary Kay Cosmetics. Although “the customer is always right” is a familiar concept in our society, it is frequently paid only lip service. Organizations that actually adhere to that principle find themselves establishing a long list of loyal customers. The Sears guarantee is the cornerstone of the company’s long-term success. Mail-order services such as Land’s End and L. L. Bean would find it difficult to exist if they didn’t offer a firm guarantee. Joe Girard, the “world’s most successful salesman,” admits that a customer occasionally will take advantage of service, but in the long run, the willingness to trust the customer will pay dividends.
The entire movement of excellence begun by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman Jr. hinges on the powerful word “listen.” Levi Strauss listened to the needs of miners, and invented blue jeans. Bette Nesmith listened to the complaints of secretaries trying to correct typing mistakes and invented Liquid Paper. Procter and Gamble listened to customers and began to promote Ivory as “the soap that floats.” Kleenex was marketed as a cold-cream wipe until Kimberly-Clark listened to customers who said the tissue was also a convenient handkerchief. One reason Arthur Fiedler became the most popular orchestra conductor in America was his ability to give people the music they wanted to hear.
Consider This: Serving people should be the motivating concept behind every organization. People are drawn to those organizations that want to serve.
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