88. Build respect - both ways - between you and your customers

"Each of us should know what our customers expect before they know it." Dinesh K. Gupta and Ashok Jambhekar

I was listening to a double-glazing salesperson on the radio the other day and the way he was talking about his customers made me think he and they were different species. He was conde­scending, patronizing, abusive, belittling and ridiculing. He seemed to think it was fair to con people - he said it was up to us to check the small print and if we didn't we were somehow stupid. I have no respect for such people because of these attitudes - and the fact they phone me most evenings as I sit down to dinner with my children. I have a whole range of techniques to punish them for this, including pretending to be deaf and making them shout, saying they need to speak to my father and leaving the phone off the hook until they get bored and hang up.

Don't cheat or lie to your customers. You need them. It's a two-way thing and it is an important relationship. Customers are never too much trouble. They provide my food and clothing and smart car and good holidays. Why should I abuse them? In return, I provide them with entertainment, fun, quality products, a brand they can be proud of, a lifestyle they can buy into, and a sense of belonging to an exciting and dynamic company I respect them for what they give me and they respect me for what I give them.

89. Go the extra mile for your customers

"Brilliance is a standard, not a skill." Michael Heppell, How to Be Brilliant

This is the easiest rule of all. Going the extra mile should be the first thing on your mind when you wake in the morning and last thing at night. Everything you do should be to take service that bit further. Trouble is, customers are such a pain in the backside. They want stuff, they demand, they are difficult, they complain, they call at unnatural hours, they expect service above and beyond, they think the whole damn business should be run for them, they moan when we move our call centre to India, they want money off, free gifts, two for one, buy one get one free, money back if they are dissatisfied, replacement products, guarantees, safety checks, harmless products. God, who do they think they are? Strike a chord here? Ring any bells? I've worked in industries where the customer wasn't so much king as an incon­venience.

Let's clear up one thing here and now. Without the customer there is no point. No point coming in. No point making anything. No point creating anything. No point doing anything. Without the customer we are all whistling in the dark.

OK, point made. Now we realize the importance of customers, we have to think of ways of getting them, keeping them, satisfying them, welcoming them, going the extra mile for them. We don't have to be toadies but we do have to be creative in the ways we woo them. It's a lot cheaper to service an existing customer than to recruit a new one. Keep the ones you've got by being nice to them. Quick exercise: think of three ways of going the extra mile for your customer right now.

90. Be aware of your responsibilities and stick to your principles

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." Albert Schweitzer

As a manager you have a responsibility to people in your team. You must make sure they don't come to harm while they are in your care. You have to make sure they are safe, healthy, cared for, well fed and watered, comfortable, kept well away from hazardous substances and equipment, and that they wear suitable safety clothing if necessary

Now you also have a responsibility to the environment in much the same way. You mustn't do anything that is going to do harm, cause lasting damage, put anyone at risk of health or life, cause any land to be utilized in a worse way than it was before you came along. You don't have to be an eco-warrior but you do have a responsibility not to cause harm or damage. Can you put your hand on your heart and say your managerial role is 'clean'?

You have to have some principles - that you won't cause harm or damage. There has to be a line drawn - by you - somewhere, beyond which you will not go. You have to give something back. You have to be aware of what is going on around you. You have to be aware of what your industry contributes - or takes - from the environment.

This isn't stuff from the fairies or the hippies or the karmic religionists - this is real stuff. The more you put in, the more you get out. Be good and sleep nights. It's not a bad philosophy to live by and to manage with.