Media and The Message

by Nicholas G. Licata, M.A.

Mutual Respect [Back to Columns]

A few years ago, during a doctor's visit, my physician said he wanted to take some blood. I obliged, presenting him with my arm, and he drew three vials. When I asked what he was going to do with it, he replied. "We are going to look at it under a microscope." Feeling, I guess, that this was all the information I could handle, he told me I could put my shirt back on, and left the room.

Now I do have a Master's degree, and I have taken college level biology, and human health but I'm pretty sure that my eight-year-old could have comprehended just about anything that can be done with a vial of blood. Were they going to check it for anemia, were they going to look for a particular virus that they suspected would make a person feel tired like I was feeling?

Needless to say, I have since found a new doctor. And, I relate this story because if you underestimate the intelligence of your audience, you will insult them and they will find a new company or product.

When we lived on Long Island, my wife frequented a local hair salon. They gave her good service; it was close to home, and it offered a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere. One day, an article appeared in the local newspaper quoting the owner of the salon. He summed up the kind of clientele he was trying to reach, and in a less than flattering manner. My wife never went there again!

Each year, I spend a couple of hundred dollars at the auto parts store. My local store, historically, did not accept my credit card, because it made a little less profit on purchases made on my card and sometimes had to wait a little longer to get paid.

The owner was a really nice guy, and he did accept other cards. I told him, routinely, that I drove 40 miles further to the next town to buy my parts unless it was an emergency. I don't understand how he didn't see that even if there were only a handful of customers like myself, by taking the card, he could have been generating thousands dollars in additional business annually.

Now, you will probably say that he is no different than I or my wife as he is willing to forego our business so as not to succumb to the will of the credit card company. And, I suppose you would be right, but what I am trying to get at is that people want to be respected and appreciated.

The auto parts store eventually went out of business and was replaced, I am happy to say, by one that accepts my card. The doctor and the hair salon, however are still in business today. So, it is possible to operate a business without paying attention to how you treat your customers, but I am willing to bet that treating people with respect and appreciation will make your business more successful.