How Many of Your Customers Are Your "Friends"?

Lets start with the definition of "Friend" here. That shouldn't be a hard question, but if you ask someone what is the meaning of "Friend", you will find a lot of different answers.

A friend defined by an online dictionary is:
1. a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate
2. an acquaintance or associate
3. an ally in a fight or cause; supporter
4. a fellow member of a party, society, etc
5. a patron or supporter: a friend of the opera



As you can see even the dictionary has different levels of friends. It is thus natural that you also have friends who are closer to you than others.

I am however talking about professional friends. My definition of a professional friend is one that:
1. you do not hesitate to call when you need something.
2. someone who you know will pick up your phone or respond to your email (if they possibly can)
3. a person who likes to work with you.
4. a person who will support you in your cause (in most cases selling your product)
5. a person you would be glad to meet and have coffee with (or whatever your favorite beverage is)

All in all, someone who is human and you perceive as a human being.

So, back to my question, how many of your customers do you think fall into this category? Do you feel that you can call them up and ask them for a reference at any time? If you answered that "Yes", then pick up the phone and try it.

One of my teachers told me, "if you want to know why a customer likes doing business with you, then ask him. Don't assume you know. Ask him."

You will notice that many of your customers are not able to relate to you as a person. They also relate to your organization as a company selling a product. How can someone be a friend with something that they cannot relate to? Furthermore, how can someone who is not a friend be loyal?

Now you see where I am going...

We talk about customer loyalty and engagement, but first we must learn to be human in our communications. We need to make professional friends, a network that will support us in our cause. Only then can we take a stab at loyalty.

What do you think? How many of your customers are your friends? Does it matter?