I was at a tradeshow in Albuquerque a while back and Stride Inc. was there supporting the local office supply distributor, by manning the booth and handing out Schwag. In addition to the goodies was a brief description of the company and an introduction to James.
James is a new employee who came to Stride through a program that helps students with special needs find employment. This was his first job and he likes working with the multi-color pen packs the best.
What strikes me about this is not that James is special needs, (although Stride gets brownie points for hiring special needs where possible). What strikes me is that I now feel more connected to Stride. Wouldn’t you like your customers to feel more connected to you? I now have a relationship with James. I know what part of his job he likes. I also know that he is a huge movie buff with a sharp memory for movie trivia.
How well do your customers know your team? Do they know the people that work with them? Do they have a personal relationship? Is there a way you can help develop that?
Studies have shown (Trusted Advisors) that by increasing our intimacy with our customers we can increase our trust. By sharing a printed page with some information about one employee, I have now developed a relationship with Stride and will look for their products.
