When my youngest daughter was little she liked to play pretend and emulate what her parents were doing. I was involved in some business or other, and apparently spending lots of time on the cell phone and my laptop. When I got a new cell, I gave her the old one for play.
On a road trip she decided that she needed to bring her “office” with her. She used her “cell” phone to call customers and even created her own laptop from a piece of folded paper. She would sit happily in her booster seat and “work.” We asked her the name of her new business and she reasoned that since bunnies and zebras were her favorite animals, the name of her business should incorporate both. Thus, The Striped Rabbit was born.
It was really cute to hear her in the backseat “typing” away on her “laptop,” and doing “work.” But the thing I remember most is how she answered the “phone” when it “rang.” “Striped Rabbit, here to help you.”
You see, she emulated the spirit of a phone greeting, but not the words we adults typically use when addressing the most important piece of our business: our customers. We say, “can I help you” or even “how can I help you?” But my little entrepreneur, sincerely stated that she was “here to help you.”
As business owners, it’s imperative to remember that, although the money is important and integral, we are here to help our customers. What is it that marketers always want you to define? What problem does your product/business/idea solve? Heck, even the Sharks on Shark Tank ask that question.
While we may not adopt “here to help you” as a telephone greeting, it would serve us well to adopt the attitude in our businesses. When you are doing paper work, when customers have complaints, when we are dealing with a glitch or outright problem… when customers come in or call remember we are here to help them. And when we internalize this spirit, it will show to our customers. Genuine caring and connection – no matter what the industry – never goes unnoticed.
As Tina Williams says, “Build your business around your community and your community will build your business around you.”
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What do you think? Are building a Community around YOUR Business?? Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it….