Today, I am revisiting a Blezoo blog post from TEN YEARS AGO about relationships. I wondered if the worldview from back then would still apply today?
Inspiration for this blog came from a 2011 blog post written by Seth Godin. Here’s an excerpt:
“No organization cares about you. Organizations aren’t capable of this. Your bank, certainly, doesn’t care. Neither does your HMO or even your car dealer. It’s amazing to me that people are surprised to discover this fact.
People, on the other hand, are perfectly capable of caring. It’s part of being a human. It’s only when organizational demands and regulations get in the way that the caring fades.”
Seth Godin, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: Relationships still matter in 2021!
In fact, they may be more important than ever. Many people (and businesses!) came to this realization in the past year dealing with COVID-19. Not only because of the lack of human connection due to quarantining, but having strong relationships had a huge effects like:
- A solid business relationship meant easier access to PPE/PPP
- A trustworthy healthcare contact helped you maintain your plan price or navigate vaccine appointments
- A dependable neighbor spared a few extra rolls of toilet paper 😂
Humans, by nature, are creative, empathetic, and can problem solve, especially for those that they have a good working relationship with. At Blezoo, it’s part of our tagline, Engage. Delight. Promote. We strive to “delight” our clients with solutions to their problems.
As Seth Godin says, companies and organizations are not capable of caring. There are tools a business can implement to simulate this: for example, your website can be a helpful tool, but it relies on the code, restrictions & boundaries. Websites are often like companies; static, rigid and lack humanity. In other words, tools can only help so much.
Nothing is more effective than a personal touch, whether that be a phone call, a hand-written note, or an Experience-in-a-Box delivered to their doorstep. You can start today to invest in relationships! Renew your focus on people and the results will follow.
What about in 2031?
I have a feeling that if I checked back in 10 years, relationships will still matter then.
PS: I actually did set my calendar for 10 years from now. Stay tuned 😉