We have been told to separate business from the personal. This manifests in many ways. We create walls and barriers between us and our employees, colleagues, and business associates. There is a strong feeling that if we let the guard down there is a strong possibility that we will loose our negotiation position.
How does that manifest itself? Bosses not praising their subordinates thinking that it may go to their head and the person may ask for a raise soon. A partner does not open up to the client and give them the “bad” news early as they fear they may loose the business. Everyone leaving negotiation rooms in the estimates for cost, time it will take and everything.
So whats wrong with it and how can we really bring love into business relationships? And does it really work or make a difference? More than work it transforms your way of doing business to higher plane. Here’s how and why.
Complexity and Need for Trust
Today’s products and offerings are very complex in themselves and how they are delivered. So in the end what the buyer really depends on is the trust they can build with the seller. Even when it comes to hiring decisions, it is tough to tell for a candidate what really they are getting into except the trust they can have with the company.
Value of Longevity of relationship
Cost of doing business is increasing so is cost of new customer, employee, and relationship acquisition. With that being the case the people and companies that win in the end are the ones who value their relationship and nurture them. This applies equally to companies like Apple who sell products and do not directly interact with the end consumer. But the love they put in their work and how they treat customers in their way of doing business is very strong and has lead to their strong position today as opposed to other large competitors.
Brand Perception and Word of Mouth
Now we are in the era of social networking. Word of mouth and referrals were always important but today they have become critical as today it is easier for a customer to help you grow as well as to criticize your company widely easily.
Many of the strong brands today are brands that hardly advertise. Take Apple, Blackberry and many more, they have build strong brands with a focus on the customers and the love the put in their work and interaction.
Bottom line is human being will always be human and hence emotional rather than calculative logical decision making machines ( thank god! ). Love makes good business sense exactly for that reason.
This is the best article I have read in many days