Business Marketing Magazine Summer 2017 Do It Yourself SEO Tips and Tools | Page 35

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ourting
lients and

mployees

By
Karl F. Gretz, PhD

“When they think of the word “courtship”
most people think of love, personal relationships, and marriage. However, the concept of courtship is critically important
for businesses of all sizes. You already
know how important it is to attract and
retain both key personnel and customers,
and, if you are wise, you spend a good
deal of time and money to do so through
marketing, profiling, recruiting, etc. These
are the same activities that are so important in building and maintaining personal
relationships and are all part of the process we call courtship. To be successful,
courtship must be both constant and consistent. Courtship consists of four parts,
each of which must be repeated throughout your relationship:

Profiling:
This consists of everything from market
research, to constantly striving to better
understand your customer’s current and
future needs, desires, and concerns, so
that you can meet them.
Love:
Don’t get love confused with ‘being in
love’. While being in love is a reaction to
your experience with someone and involves massive hormonal shifts and a loss
of ability to think rationally, love is the
choice you make to communicate by your
words and actions that you value someone; that their needs, interests, concerns,
desires, etc., are important to you. You
build customer loyalty by providing them
not only with quality products at a reasonable price, but by the way you serve them.
Think Ritz Carlton service. Consider the
many things you do and say to communicate to family, friends, and employees that
you value them and they are an important
part of your life.
Commitment to your relationship:
In marriage or friendship, you communicate this kind of commitment by words
and actions.
Demonstrate your willingness to work
through any conflicts that arise, to your
mutual satisfaction. You do the same with
customers and employees.
Commitment to continuously improve
your relationship:
While this commitment is incredibly important, it is also the one most often
neglected. Customers, friends, family, (and