It’s easy to get caught up in the challenges of daily life, particularly if you are running a business in a challenging market. The pace of change is almost impossible to comprehend, much less adjust to. Costs in almost all areas continue to escalate, and team members want a larger cut of a pie that doesn’t seem to grow as rapidly as business outlays. It can be a challenge to remember one of the core values of our industry: service to our customers. Let me throw out a concept that some may see as antiquated: the value of being NICE. A concept that doesn’t mean being weak or a pushover but rather being someone who keeps the Golden Rule in mind in their daily life. In case you are feeling challenged in this social media-driven, I’ll-get-mine environment, the Golden Rule is: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Sounds naïve, not the kind of idea that would get your favorite influencer the clicks that they believe validate their existence. But the reality is that in our Noise Economy, being nice can be a differentiator.
I had a conversation with a good friend and colleague just the other day about how he was driving his customer to make a more cost-effective and simpler decision in their upcoming move. He could have just taken advantage of their lack of knowledge and charged for things they didn’t need. But being a long-term and successful businessperson, he knew that it was better for both him and his customers to be an honest broker of information. In the end, his customers were very appreciative, and other business opportunities will follow. He is playing the long game and doing it very well.
One of the aspects of the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA) that makes it unique is that the Golden Rule is an association core value. It is a reason why I am pleased to still represent CMSA members after over 20 years of service. Having just completed another annual convention, I can share that the camaraderie of our members is something that first-time attendees frequently marvel at. Our Board and Committees work to improve the landscape for all movers; I have not seen self-serving behavior, and I know that if it were to ever happen, it would be shut down immediately. All board members complete and submit an annual conflict of interest document, which can advise of potential conflicts but, in our case, is more frequently just a reminder that we are here to serve the membership and not our individual companies.
So perhaps being nice is not antiquated after all. Perhaps it is one of the smartest business strategies we have. In a world that rewards noise, there is still real power in trust, decency, and doing the right thing.