Our clients need authenticity

I’m in my thirties now, and it seems that good, old-fashioned service and simple, truthful marketing has all but vanished over the last 2-3 decades.  I would bet I’m not the only one that feels this way, and that the general public has a very limited trust in what they hear and read from businesses and sales people.  Thanks to recent economic events, you can now add Bankers, Insurance Agents, Healthcare Administrators, Mortgage Brokers, and Real Estate Professionals to the list of “Untrustables”.

But isn’t it refreshing when we encounter a professional or a business whose honesty and heart shines through, and they make everything SIMPLE.  They don’t glam up their products, try to oversell themselves, no flashing lights or complicated websites.  In addition, they answer the phone when you call (no computer systems), and get to know you on a personal level. When you have to call back, they remember you and make you feel important and cared for.  Obviously, they do their job efficiently, but more than that, they come across as AUTHENIC.

So how do we achieve that as business people? I mean afterall, we have gotten ourselves in the pattern of trying to out-hype our competition to gain more market share.  Instead of trying something new, we just shout louder.

Here’s a short to-do list that might help:

1) review your mission statement.  Is it simple, achieveable, clear?  Do you live it? Or is it impossibly idealistic (as most are)?  Your employees need to be at the core of your efforts to simplify your business and get the good vibes back.  If they see the company’s mission as being a bunch of b.s., they will have no desire to live by it.

2) Any advertising or marketing should be consistent, to the point, and simple.  If you sell a product, don’t overpromise and underdeliver. In this era of social networking, online product feedback, and blogs, if you overhype a product you will be sacrificed to the gods of Web 2.0.

3) Embrace a greater purpose than just making money.  Think of Patagonia, with their desire to be environmentally conscious.  Upon realizing that they weren’t “walking the talk” posted this statement (in part) in their stores:

“Louder than Words,”

 ”In fact, we’ve come to understand that the [headquarters] building is a monument to

superficial satisfaction over environmental priority. We used virgin

materials everywhere — new wood, new fixtures, new gypsum board,

carpeting and paint. And the vertical grain fir [ used in the ceiling

beams ]? It’s made from the old growth forests that groups we now

support are fighting to protect. Surrounded by these persistent

reminders of our own naivete, we are committed to a new approach…”

 

4) Don’t be afraid to lose business.  If you do (or sell) what you believe in, are generous in your services, and are not afraid to turn away business if your product or service is not in the best interest of your customer, your honesty will be rewarded later.

5) Focus on constant innovation to add value rather than (as my husband calls it) being a Peacock.  Focusing too much on image will come across as a disquise for inadequacy if you have nothing of substance to back it up.