It's All About the Attitude

by David D. Menzies
"Attitude reflects leadership, captain." - "Big Ju" from Remember the Titans
Those of you who've seen the movie might have caught this little nugget; I sure did. In fact, I use it pretty regularly when discussing people's attitudes, whether reflected in their personal interactions or, more often than not in my world, in business conversations. Remember the Titans happened to be on TV last night, which struck me as ironic because earlier in the day I had come across an example of someone with a poor attitude that reflected on his work product and business, just a couple days after I'd experienced an individual showcasing just the opposite. Both interactions left an impression on me with regard to whether or not I would want to do business with either individual and, in turn, had an impact on their employers' brands.

Yesterday I was calling around to vendors on behalf of a client of mine seeking pricing and other information, i.e. I was basically a pre-qualified prospect for these vendors, money to be had, right in their grasp, there for the taking. The first couple vendors I called understood this, and treated me as if I was someone they wanted to do business with, leaving me with a very positive impression of their companies and keeping my interest.

The third individual I contacted was, in a word, awful. Answering the customer service line, you would think this guy would welcome calls from, well, customers. This could not be further from the truth--the guy was gruff, irritated, rude, and actually quite obnoxious, making fun of the email address I gave him, my client's company name, and generally making me feel like I was bothering him. The real kicker came when I told him the catalog I was referencing was a 2013 edition that my client had picked up at a December trade show. Instead of offering assurances that the information and pricing was accurate, or giving me new pricing, the guy on the phone sighed in irritation and chided, "Well you're a year behind now aren't you."

What I do most at my job is listen, and I listen to a lot of people every day, but I've not heard such poor attitude pour out of someone's mouth in quite some time. Needless to say, I did not recommend this guy's company to my client, thus keeping potential revenue and business growth from his employer.

On the flip side, late last week I was scrambling to get some promotional materials printed locally and went online to find some quick turnaround shops. It came down to two printers with online ordering systems wherein I could upload the material, check pricing, and move forward with getting products printed that same day.

One of the printers had better pricing than another, but their online production system would not allow me to select same-day printing, even though it was offered elsewhere on the site. I thought briefly about giving up and moving on to my second option, but thought I would at least give them the benefit of the doubt and call. I'm glad I did; the gentleman on the other end of the phone thanked me for my call, was extremely helpful and positive. He let me know that the situation I was encountering was a glitch, and provided me with an easy workaround. He also promised me that he and his staff would ensure that my job got done that same day, and would contact me when it was ready for pickup.

About two hours after submitting my files online, I got both an email and phone call from Office Max in the Beaver Creek Shopping Center location in Apex (1021 Beaver Creek Commons, 919-387-6670, ServicesCenter1246@officemax.com) notifying me that my job was ready. When I went to pick it up, the friendly gentleman I had spoken with earlier gave me his business card with his email address and let me know that if I wanted to do future orders I could simply skip the system and email him my files directly.

He then shook my hand, thanked me for my business, and invited me to come again. Which I will.

If you're looking to create advocates for your brand and business, instead of scaring customers away, there's one thing you have to remember: it's all about the attitude.

David D. Menzies is president of Innovative Public Relations, a PR and media relations consultancy. He is a 22+ year public relations professional with expertise in strategic messaging, publicity and branding. For more information visit www.innovativepublicrelations.com. Copyright © 2014 Innovative Public Relations, Inc. Publicity and branding solutions from Innovative Public Relations help U.S. and international life sciences and technology companies get in front of prospective customers and cement their brands in the marketplace. Click here to learn more about our signature Proposal => Engagement => Success model.