The Golden Rule is one of the first lessons in civility we learn: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This encompasses common courtesy and polite behavior to include kindness, generosity, compassion, and forgiveness. It smooths civil intercourse and social interaction. But does it make sense in business?
In Management Issues, David Livermore’s article “Don’t Treat Your Customers the Way You Want to Be Treated” advocates otherwise. This admonition rests upon the global nature of today’s economy: “Because the very things that boost customer satisfaction in one culture can be the very things that destroy it in another.” He brings up the example of chitchat. You know, getting those social pleasantries out of the way so you can get down to real business. Livermore notes that some cultures regard small talk as essential, which task-oriented cultures and people dismiss as a waste of time. He also advises business-people to remain cognizant of such cultural differences as weekends. The typical weekend in the USA and other Western countries is Saturday and Sunday; however, a businessperson dealing with clients in the Middle East should understand and accommodate their weekend, which is Thursday and Friday.
Writing for Entrepreneur, Eric Schiffer speaks to the Golden Rule in customer service in his article “Treat Them Well: 5 Keys to Lasting Customer Service.” His Golden Rule centers upon treating customers like honored guests, people whom you value and appreciate. Too many companies, he says, “are too focused on new business risk ignoring, alienating and then losing the clients and business they already have. Customers that are taken for granted soon leave, and business suffers.” Treating your clients well hinges upon a single word: respect.
Before you accuse those who subscribe to the Golden Rule as all naive Pollyanna types, remember that this mantra does not require a cheerful disposition at all times. Someone who has suffered great hardship or terrible loss does not need to be advised to look on the bright side, says Wayne W. Shanks, Manager of Planning and Development at the City of Lloydminster. Treating people the way you wish to be treated may be as simple as merely listening to another’s tale of woe, commiserating with that person, extending empathy. It imbues the perception to know when to stop speaking. In addition to respect, this aspect of the Golden Rule shows caring.
Of course, with finances at stake, business frequently suffers from moral corruption. The Golden Rule becomes a tool of patsies, the gullible, those babies who lose their candies to unscrupulous rivals and competitors. The Golden Rule suffers when clients play upon a vendor’s sympathies to override a lower level employee’s enforcement of company policy, to avoid paying for a product or service, to squeeze out additional work from the scope of service. Living up to ethical principles may, in fact, come across not as honest, but as cold-hearted and rigid. We are urged to bend and to accommodate, then find ourselves castigated for being spineless.
Disgruntled clients can destroy a company’s reputation, demoralize employees, and ruin your business—and they know it. The power of the customer leads to the erroneous mantra of the customer always being right. Anyone who has been in business more than five minutes knows that customers are frequently mistaken, if not absolutely wrong. This leads to an imbalance of power and a businessperson needing to understand that not every client is worthy of their service. Clients, too, bear their share of the burden for polite behavior, civil discourse, and honesty.
The Heggen Group adheres to a strong ethical code that prioritizes respect and caring for clients. We understand that business must still operate at a profit even when situations change. We can teach you how to live up to your principles without alienating your clients.
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