by TERRY CAPPS
Buda Chamber of Commerce
What works best in your office? The personal touch factor or e-mails. One of my favorite songs is “People” from the Broadway musical, “Funny Girl.” “People….people who need people….are the luckiest people…in the world…” “E-mail….people who send e-mail….” just doesn’t have the same ring, does it?
In the best educated, most electronically sophisticated society in history, the elements of personal service and human connection are more essential to the business environment than ever before. While messages, estimates and invoices zoom through cyberspace at breakneck speeds, mere information does not a relationship make. The text will never foster the trust or credibility of the time taken to carefully listen to a customer’s true needs. An e-mail cannot convey that the message was received and understood, like a genuine smile with a knowing nod. And no, the smiley face you type can’t be compared to your real smile. Let’s face it, business people still thrive on human interaction.
I was visiting one of our members recently and he lamented the lack of response to an e-mail blast sent through the company contact list. “Have you phoned anyone yet, or stopped by to talk to any of them,” I asked? His blunt “no” seemed to indicate an unwillingness to go “face-to-face” with his clients. His reasons could be workload, fear of rejection or even laziness. Worst, though, could be a thought process that seemed to justify his thinking the job was complete. But was it?
I visited a new chamber member last week. During an unannounced social call, I stopped at the front desk and asked to say “hi” to the owner; I wanted to drop off some Expo information. The co-manager (his mother) and I briefly discussed the benefits and she stated emphatically… “We need to be there, don’t we?” Another successful sales call without computer connections.
In the July 9 issue of Golf World, author Roland Merullo writes about a driving range in his city. A popular spot, the owner dispenses more than golf balls, lessons and burgers. He’s a hands-on manager dispensing customer service in myriad fashion, “Humility, courtesy, generosity, consideration---the (golf) range is a soul school, not just a driving range… It’s an institution of higher education. MBA candidates could do worse than stop by and see how this owner runs his show.” Make sure you take time to interact with your customers….but not through e-mails alone!
Hope you enjoyed the music during the fabulous Buda Fireworks show. Dick Schneider and I compiled those music tracks and used them during the BACC fireworks a few years ago. We lent them to the city this year. Kudos to Jack Jones for a great Fourth of July event.
