Five minutes after I posted the item below, I was thinking about how immediately easy it was to get cynical.
I guess in the business world, most conversations are actually coinversations … “how can I get this guy to buy my new gizmo?”, “how can I con-vince these people to agree to my con-sulting services?”, “how can I position this-or-that so that we’re the supplier of choice?”, emotional intelligence, be a good listener, which will result in a better relationship and so you’ll be more successful, yadda, yadda, yadda …
But then along comes Harry in the comments section, with a clarion call for reciprocal human interest, authenticity, trust … all those things that the ongoing hunt for money make so intangible and so very valuable.
Coinversations, indeed.
Jon, in the last year or so I’ve started directing all my internet purchases to businesses where I can interact with the owners and employees. I would like to direct all my business to people who engage me in a civil and interesting fashion. The sum total of my purchases, though not grand by any means, is business worth having. I’m sure there are many people like me. That’s where the money is. I even buy from places that charge a bit more because I know the merchants and I appreciate their willingness to be held accountable in front of everyone with a modem and a browser.
More blogging means more customers. We all engage in commerce, and in our rapidly fragmenting society, the human touch is important. A quality product from nice people always does pretty well.
Leave a Reply