Honesty. Wow. What a great name for a video. What a great name for a song. What a word.
Brings up all kinds of interesting issues. Interesting emotions… and in business, an interesting concept, and one that seems to be very difficult for a lot of different reasons.
Billy Joel — 1978. The Album — 52nd Street. One of my favorite albums.
Let’s look at what it means for business. Let’s look at the lyrics.
We’re not going to change the lyrics. We’re just going to go through them:
If you search for tenderness, it isn’t hard to find.
You can have the love you need to live.
But if you look for truthfulness, you might just as well be blind.
It always seems to be so hard to give.
Who hasn’t walked into a store and found people that will tell them what they need to hear or what they want to hear? And then, you come back later and find out, maybe it isn’t exactly the truth. It seems to happen all the time, doesn’t it?
Yeah, honesty!
And then Billy goes on:
Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard, and mostly what I need from you.
Of course he’s talking about honesty in a different context, but in business, it is so rare to find truly honest people.
But when you do find them, it’s kind of special, isn’t it?
I can always find someone to say they sympathize.
Let’s think about that for a little while.
If I wear my heart out on my sleeve, but I don’t want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies.
Hey, I’m going to bring this into a specific industry. How many people haven’t had HVAC people come in and tell you what you want to hear? And then call for a follow-up service?
See how that works out for you? Yeah, let’s bring that into the practical.
Billy goes on:
I can find a lover. I can find a friend. I can have security until the bitter end.
Anyone can comfort me with promises again.
I’m obviously skipping some words here, but…
When I’m deep inside of me, don’t be too concerned.
I won’t ask for nothing when I’m gone.
But when I want sincerity, tell me, where else can I turn?
Because you’re the one I depend upon.
And he finishes the song with:
Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard and mostly what I want from you.
Let’s think about that. How many businesses are truly honest with their customers?
How many businesses live up to their promises?
I’m going to name names… Costco.
Have you ever tried to return something to Costco? You walk in, you hand them the item and they take it back. They really live up to their word.
I’m going to name another name — Marriott hotels. Have you ever had a problem in a Marriott hotel? They will bend over backwards to make it right.
I think Disney used to be one of those companies. They seem to have lost their way.
But when we look at companies that truly value their customers, they’re few and far between.
For small businesses, here is a way to differentiate yourself, especially if you’re going through hard times.
What’s a better way to get customers than referrals? And what’s a better way to get referrals than to be honest with your customers?
SmallBizReorg. We’re here to help.
