The New Legal Precedence Every Small Businessperson Must Know or Lose!
I was once a superintendent to a general contractor who told me of a precarious situation he found himself in when delivering a bid to an 85 year old, still practicing, property lawyer. His simple contract consisted of a one page document he was certain the lawyer would tear apart and require he retain his own lawyer to combat the impending disputation that would inevitably develop. He paced in front of the lawyers house nearly a half hour debating on whether he should jump back in his truck and leave in order to avoid the confrontation and headache this meeting was sure to engender.
He finally decided to keep his word and the meeting he agreed to, and just get it over with. As he knocked he felt his stomach begin to knot up and his internal defense mechanisms kicking into gear; then suddenly the door opened to the view of a small mild mannered old man reaching out his hand in welcoming form, which diffused much of the angst built up over the last half hour. They shared a few words, getting to know each other, when the contractor finally pulled out his one page contract and handed it to the lawyer. Once again the anguish began to build as the Lawyer proceeded to read the entire contract.
Much to the contractor’s chagrin, the lawyer reached for his pen then signed the agreement and handed it back to him. After a brief pause, while looking over the lawyer’s signature, the contractor said, “I must confess that I’m taken aback. I thought for sure that once you read my small contract you’d want to make a bunch of clarifications and changes and I was ready to just walk out and let someone else have the bid.” The lawyer responded, “Young man (he was about 50 years of age), I have been a lawyer over 50 years now and during that tenure I have learned one important lesson: A contract is worth nothing more than the two men signing it.”
Lawyers have complicated the legal system so much so that nobody reads the “Terms & Conditions” anymore. If an issue arises it will be much easier to contact a lawyer to take care of it than to read each and every agreement to use peripheral programs. Do you really care what the agreement says for Adobe Reader or any other such program you trust, especially when you have no intention on using it for criminal purposes?
This brings us full circle to the system utilized before lawyers… the proverbial handshake. Therefore, the new paradigm is the old one regenerated. We are back to integrity, loyalty, a man’s word being his bond, the idea that if you say something, you are going to make it happen and you will not allow anyone to ruin your good name. If your company causes you to lie, cheat, take advantage of or manipulate your customers, you are willing to change jobs rather than allow them to drag you, your reputation or your character through the mud.
How do we know this is the new paradigm? Social media is making us honest. Which is more damaging to your business, having someone threaten you with their lawyer or a few customers reviewing your product/service, company or representatives and relating a bad experience? It is the new law. We basically don’t need lawyers anymore because they can’t protect your lousy service from social media. We are now free to be cheerleaders or judge and jury for your business. How do you protect yourself from the backlash of bad service? Change it to good service. How do we protect ourselves from bad reviews? Take the potential of a bad review away from them by providing service they couldn't possibly speak evil of. It is time to live the principles of Ken Blanchard’s book “Raving Fans”. The “Tin Men” are gone as well as the get rich quick schemes. Everyone is waking up to a new force to be reckoned with so try to hide if you will but people are beginning to trust reviews of products more than the lying ads being pitched about them.
I have over 7500 people in my personal network. Tick me off and I’m sure my bad review will cause at least one or two, or dozens of potential or current customers to stop doing business with you. I will hurt your business if you are not honest with me, cheat me, take advantage of me, or manipulate me. I am stronger than you know. I am the new customer that is more powerful than your lawyer, and there are millions of people out there waking up to this new power given them, and they have much larger networks than I.
Be honest in your dealings with your fellow man; enjoy your integrity, maintain your dignity, value your good name and always stand up for right. Then will you be the company everyone trusts and desires to do business with.
Understand that people are not looking for companies to tear down or hurt their business. People are looking for those they can trust and when they find it, their loyalty is hard to break. They will become your fans. They will refer free business to you. They want to make you, not break you. But you need to take the first step. You need to give them something to brag about, something worthy of their adoration. Give them what they are hoping for; be that something they knew must exist but has yet to reveal itself. Be the company they can trust.
Connect with me on Linked in at: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pub/scott-taylor/7/347/b96
To contact Scott Taylor about this article or receive more information regarding the #CloudiaAssistant #CRM call 817-778-4515 or email [email protected] www.cloudiaassistant.com #dripmarketing #commissioncalculation #quoteengine #IVR #insurancesoftware #callcentersoftware