Business Suicide Mindsets to Avoid in 2009 (Part 2)
By on Jun 30, 2009 in Featured, The Great Business Digital Divide
In my last article on this topic I covered the Business Suicide Mentality #1: The Status Quo Mindset.
Here in part two, I will address The Arrogance Mentality Mindset. This mentality is not as easy to put your finger on at first glance. Rather, it has the ability to rear its ugly head in many disguised forms.
For instance, I had the unpleasant encounter with this mentality during a business cold call activity I was engaged in recently. I had emailed the business owner (whose business I frequent) because I felt for sure I could help him increase his website marketing results. I introduced myself and let him know I would like to take him for coffee and get to know him a bit better and talk to him about some possible ways I could help them increase their business revenue. After a few days I got no response which is not an uncommon thing since anything could have happened to the email from SPAM filters to him actually deleting it.
I strategically took note of their least busy time during the day and paid him a visit. When he came out, he had this unfriendly look on his face but I proceeded to introduce myself and refer to my email, etc., but before I could finish my sentence he abruptly told me he was not interested and had no time to talk to me then turn and walked away from me! Needless to say, he not only was rude to me, he also talked very loud so others around could hear us and he embarrassed me.
Now, if you have ever done a cold call of any sorts you know they are not very fun in the first place and they are not for the faint at heart. With that said though, I find there is no reason to be ugly to people trying to connect with you.
Do you think I am going to spend my money there again? You think I am not going to tell my circle of friends about my experience? You bet I will. I certainly see his business in a whole different light after that incident.
As I said previously this is only one example of how arrogance can show itself to your customers, vendors, potential strategic partners, service providers, etc. It does not matter how arrogance is displayed…it’s a deadly mindset for a business to practice in today’s marketplace.
Why?
Well for starters, your brand does not belong to you. You have to get this if you want to participate in the new business era we are in.
Your brand (that is not just a logo, it’s everything that identifies your business, you product, your service) is now subject like never before to the conversations. Conversations that are going on everyday about your business…by someone.
Those conversations are being conducted by the people that interact with you and your business at many levels. From the board room, to the guy ordering at your drive-thru. And with the FREE and easy tools social media has given us all…those conversations can reach further and faster than ever thought and it can pick up passengers along the way that can and will be persuaded by the conversations concerning your brand even though they may have not had any firsthand experience with your brand. Crazy huh?
This is so powerful it must not be ignored. So powerful that you’re misbehaving, your lack of integrity, your “I don’t care about you” attitude and behavior can have deadly consequences for your business.
The dictionary describes arrogance as…
ar⋅ro⋅gance
-noun
offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.
With all the competition in the marketplace both online and offline, the social empowered new consumer, and the demand for integrity and transparency in business today…surely it’s clear why The Arrogance Mentality is such a bad business practice and mindset to have.
You never know who it is you’re dealing with these days you know. It could be a nationally syndicated blogger in your shop, or she may be the president of the company you have wanted to sell your widget too, or the son of your son’s boss.
Comon people, if you’re in business its an unspoken rule you never treat people rudely or unfriendly. What happened to professionalism and courtesy? Heck we should not be treating people badly anyway…period. But for businesses to engage in this practice…it’s flat out unacceptable.
One last thing…If you have employees doing this…fire them! If the leadership practices this…fire them! If it’s you…get a complacency check or fire yourself. If you don’t, your customers will do it for you eventually.
Stay tuned for Business Suicide Mentality #3: The Opposition Mentality.
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8 Comment(s)
By Stuart Kortekaas on Jun 30, 2009 | Reply
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how bad customer service can be these days, especially given the current global climate. As this article correctly points out, word of mouth spreads much quicker than ever before, and you don’t know who you’re talking to will know. The expression it’s a small world is more appropriate than ever.
One person I admire is Sir Richard Branson. I especially like the way he is nice to everyone he meets. Back in 2000 I was preparing to go overseas, to study design in Sweden. When I visited the student travel agency in the city (Melbourne) to collect my tickets, the staff asked me “Did you meet him?” as I walked in. When I asked who, they said Richard Branson, and mentioned he was there about 10 minutes before I arrived. The staff at the travel agency also mentioned that he’d been very friendly to everyone.
Especially since good manners & being polite cost nothing, there’s no reason not to be nice to people. It’s a good way of attracting and keeping customers too.
By Hazel on Jun 30, 2009 | Reply
Stuart,
Thank you for your comments. I so agree with you especially on how bad customer service is today. Being rude and arrogant are great big turn offs!
Thank you again!
Hazel
By ben nneji on Jul 1, 2009 | Reply
Your article was on the mark. It is sad to see people react to negatively to an unsoliciated offer. Sometimes it is just the way they are, but sometimes, it if driven by their previous experience with unsolicited offers. Either way, there is no excuse to be inpolite or to embarrass someone publicly.
I do consult on process improvement for various service companies. I tell them that they must behave in a way consistent with their brand. If their brand is to provide “friendly service” to their customers, then they must maintain that attitude in dealing with everyone, employees, suppliers, customers, etc, since, technically, they are all potential customers or actual customers as in your case.
Your article provides great insight as to why. Thanks for sharing.
Ben Nneji
SigmaWorks Group
A Business Service Process Improvement Company
By Hazel on Jul 1, 2009 | Reply
Ben, thank you for your comment. I love what you said about behaving in a way consistent with their brand. You should coin that because it is not only very true but is very powerful!
Hazel
By Raghavendra Srivastava on Jul 3, 2009 | Reply
Hi,
I do agree with you, however as a researcher and student of human behavior, I would blame it on human psychology, which resists any voluntary inputs coming in from someone who is not known to you; even though the person sincerely wants to help you out!
As individuals we don’t really try to understand the logic behind an unknown person approaching us of his own, but instantaneously start to access the motive behind this voluntary approach – Is it that the person cold calling has his own interests in mind, which would benefit him more than me.
Good going nonetheless! Keep writing
Cheers
Raghav
By Hazel on Jul 3, 2009 | Reply
Raghav,
Thank you for your comment. Ahh, human nature. You are so right. It determines not only how we treat others but what our business philosophy is in my opinion. Our businesses are a reflection of the leadership. That is why in this new business era we must realize people really do matter and so does the way we treat them.
Thank you again!
Hazel
By Pablo on Jul 11, 2009 | Reply
I am sorry about the rude treatment. However, if you are ignored in your Cold Call/ Email…has nothing to do with SPAM (unless email bounced back?).and then show up unannounced at their perceived “least busy” time of day (how can you assume that?) what else can you expect but a rude reaction? in all honesty that would be bound to annoy me too. Why? if I’m interested, i would of a) picked up that phone when you called or b) answer your vmm message. …Your contact might of been busy with a financial statement, be going through hiring or firing..a divorce…who knows? .showing up without a confirmed appointment comes across as “desperate” and does not place you as an “equal” before your client’s eyes, but as one of millions of other “sales reps” searching for business – no matter what. I.E.- a “solicitor”
By Hazel on Jul 11, 2009 | Reply
Pablo,
Thank you for your comment. I understand your point however, there is no excuse ever to be rude to someone seeking to do business with you unless of course THEY have acted in a rude, disrespectful way to you first. If a business owner only entertains possible business services, products, and opportunities that only they initiate…they not only may be losing out on expanding their borders, but they may box themselves in from possible solutions and approaches that could take their business to the next level.
To make the first move towards connecting with someone to discuss a solution you may have to help their business is hardly a desperate act to me. It’s business. Thank God for sales reps because without them reaching out to busy businesses, many products and services that help you be more efficient or profitable would not be available to them simply because they would not know about it.
If you want to do business in this new business era…the way you treat EVERYONE matters like never before. Your business no longer just belongs to you…it belongs to the convesations going on about your business you have no control over.
Again Pablo, thank you for your views.