Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

I get this sometimes from client execs, invariably male. Now, there are many men who are very, very good at relationships and it’s my privilege to work with some of them. However, there are also a lot of insecure, pseudo-macho types who live in fear of appearing human to their customers. (These are the same boys, however, that will abruptly end a meeting because “I’ve got to get home or my wife’s gonna kill me!”)

Relationships aren’t a “nice to have” in business - they’re a must have. And, that “R” is hard-wired into our brains.

But, don’t take my word for that wiring - here’s a snippet from Tom Peters’ post, Relationships! Relationships! Relationships!

…Or as British evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar put it, our brains expanded to store social information. (Relationship stuff!) To make a long, long story short, this “relationship stuff” allowed us to join together in bands, maximize what we now call “organizational effectiveness” … and become Kings & Queens of the jungle and more.

My point here is to suggest that anyone, as so many do, who dismisses or diminishes “relationship stuff” and “communication stuff” as “the soft stuff” is not only a fool (per me), but also denying the essence of what it means to be human—and the reason we have ruled the planet, for better or for worse, for ever so many years.

(Or, it’s sorta hard to land that Mammoth for winter food if you’re off on your own beating your chest…)

Related Posts:
Marketing Messages: Cute Phobia (No, you don’t have to get all fuzzy-wuzzy or do virtual group hugs, but you do need to stand out. Another “innovative solution” ain’t gonna do it.)
The Dark Side of Trust

Free Stuff: How Big Is Your “R?” (quick one-page PDF download)