SAFETY BLOG

Webster defines integrity as: 1. completeness 2. unimpaired condition; soundness 3. honesty, sincerity, etc. What a great word.  Today, words such as integrity and sincerity are used as catch phrases or ad words, but where is the substance or meaning.  The essence of words such as these are not reflected by the people using them.

American businesses used to pride themselves on the meaning of integrity.  If you stopped to get fuel fifty years ago, someone would pump your fuel, wash your windows, check under the hood, and put air in your tires.  Today, we are grossly overcharged for fuel, we pump it ourselves, we're lucky to have window washing fluid in the bucket to wash our windows with, and we have to pay for air.  See a problem here?  Our needs as clients have been dropped as a priority for successful businesses.  This is only one example being used as a model.  Nevertheless, most American businesses operate under these very same principles.  It should not be surprising that there is no consumer trust in American business these days.

"The client knows best" is a phrase that most people cannot remember anymore.  Well, it's time to jar their memories.  What do you want your business reputation to stand for?  Integrity?  If so, its time to get back to putting the client first.  Go the extra mile.  Include extra services at no charge.  Talk to your clients on a regular basis.  Make them feel like they are your only client.  In the words of Jerry Maguire; "less clients and more personal attention". 

Ask yourself, where have all of our business heroes gone?  I think they still exist, but have been silenced by cost-cutting practices, corporate influence, and the devastating current American business trend of maximizing profit margins.  Centering on your clients will reinvest their trust in your company, thus securing your client base, and eventually increase your word-of-mouth leads.  It is up to every American business owner to personally take the steps to reinvent the client-based business.  Once this trust is established, the health & safety of American business will be secured. 

In these tough economic times, it is our business relationships that are going to save and sustain small businesses.  Competition is getting pretty cut throat out there.  Supply is up and demand is down.  Ouch.  Most small business professionals are sitting at their desks staring at the phone waiting for it to ring.  Will it?  It's time to go on the offense and start placing those calls.  Break out the rolodex people and get back to basics.  Dust off the business card file and rekindle those old business contacts that used to be so vital to the early days of your company.  During down time, get online and start engaging social media outlets.  Build new relationships on these sites and turn them into leads and word-of-mouth traffic.  With today's technology, business networking has never been easier.  It will truly be the fail-safe of the next few years.