Being Human Is Part of That
I was having a virtual conversation with my friend Shep this past week. We meet online every week, and the technology that allows us to talk with someone over a thousand miles away as if they were right there in the room is amazing.
Part of our conversation was about a weekly online post by Mike Kim that Shep had read. It was titled You Can’t Teach Your Way to Income Anymore, Now What? It was about redefining business relationships and how technology has made things less personal. It is becoming a struggle to get people to slow down long enough to listen, let alone focus on the human aspect of doing business.
We are living in a high-speed, follow-the-trend world.
Mike’s point was that things have become cold and mundane. There is no feeling behind them. This is one thing AI cannot provide. It can duplicate information, but it cannot provide a real relationship.
I know there are people who have made AI their new best friend. The problem is that it is just regurgitating content. It can sound warm and personal, but it’s faking it. It’s not the same as a real human connection. It is a tool, and we need to remember that and use it accordingly.
It’s missing a real connection.
As Shep and I were talking, I was reminded of how important it is that we interact with people and develop real connections. This got me thinking about a previous post I wrote about the eight pillars of trust. One of those pillars is connection.
Here are all eight:
1. Clarity: People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.
2. Compassion: People put faith in those who care beyond themselves.
3. Character: People notice those who do what is right over what is easy.
4. Competency: People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable.
5. Commitment: People believe in those who stand through adversity.
6. Connection: People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends.
7. Contribution: People immediately respond to results.
8. Consistency: People love to see the little things done consistently.
These are all things we look for in relationships, and that includes business relationships.
I have always been a big advocate of providing good service to customers. It seems to be less common than it used to be. This may just be my personal perspective, but I’ve experienced it, and it frustrates me. I have often used big-box stores and online purchases as examples of places where customer service can be lacking.
Sometimes, online purchases can be the more beneficial way to go. I recently had an experience where I was looking for tube socks. Neither the local Walmart nor Dollar General had any. In both cases, the people working there could not (or would not) help me.
My wife checked several different stores in Wichita and had no luck either. I eventually went online to Amazon, found what I was looking for, and had them delivered within a few days.
I guess my whole point here is that we need to offer our customers better service.
Service is the thing that will separate us from our competition.
Being aware of this and understanding its importance will help us make better decisions. Then comes being intentional and taking action. From there, we need to keep learning and improving.
Technology will continue to change the way we do business. There will always be new tools, new trends, and new ways to do things. But one thing that shouldn’t change is how we treat people. At the end of the day, people want to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Don’t get so caught up in running your business that you forget the people you’re running it for.
Building a successful business starts with good service. And being human is a big part of that. That is how we BUILD the business of our dreams.
If you would like to connect on a conversational level and learn more about building the business of your dreams, schedule a meeting. We can sit down and talk.
