Day 19: Dog Love, Customer Love

Posted November 19, 2010

I have never been a big fan of my parents’ dog.

Don’t get me wrong: I love dogs. I grew up with dogs, and I ooh and aah over pups of all ages the way most women of childbearing age squeal over babies. In fact, when I bought my townhouse in 2006, and suddenly had no landlord to contend with, I contemplated getting a dog of my own.

For about a week.

Until I realized that my life just isn’t set up for that kind of responsibility.

So I adopted a 2nd cat instead.

Cats, see, are one step above house plants on the responsibility meter. In fact, in some ways they’re easier than house plants, because they actually let you know when they need to be fed. House plants just quietly droop, turn brown and die. Only the hardiest plants—those that can go for weeks without water—survive chez Melissa.

But I digress.

This post really does have to do with Customer Love, I swear. I’m getting there.

I should note that I was only able to buy my Silicon Valley townhouse with the help of my parents, and providing the down payment was not an entirely unselfish move on their part. When they helped me buy my place, my parents were hopeful that not only would being “landed” (as in “landed gentry”) keep their artist daughter from moving to a cheaper part of the world (and far away from them), but it would also garner them a built-in doggie hotel for those times when they go out of town.

Now that they’re mostly retired (and have a grandchild on the other coast), my parents travel a lot, and those kennel bills really add up. Even with crazy Bay Area real estate prices, having an on-call free kennel might have been a pretty good investment.

Except they didn’t take into account the fact that, as I said at the start, I’m not a big fan of their dog

The problem with Chloe, the German Shepherd

Chloe is sweet, and very pretty, but she’s boisterous and loud. Her bark could pierce your eardrum. She slobbers, and she runs around in a flurry and jumps up on you even though she’s not supposed to.

With a Chihuahua or a Yorkie, a little jumping’s not that big of a deal. With a German Shepherd, it’s a little more problematic.

Once or twice I tried playing dog-sitter. My parents even got doggie-booties for Chloe to wear outside, so she wouldn’t get mud all over my white carpet. (Hey, it came with the place, people—I am way too practical ever to install white carpet, and when my internet empire is making bank I’m tearing it all out and putting in bamboo.)

The booties didn’t help. The mud stains prompted my parents to pay for my carpets to be cleaned, which turned out to be significantly more expensive than a stay at the kennel, and that was the end of my dog-sitting conscription. (Much to the relief of the feline residents, I might add.)

And what does all of this have to do with Customer Love, you may well be wondering?

I’d be wondering too, if I were you.

Well, here’s the thing. On Friday I had knee surgery (long story), and since my place is two stories, and since the post-op protocol included a heavy Continuous Passive Motion machine (to passively bend and straighten my knee, um, continuously) and a cooling machine (to, um, cool it) that required able-bodied people to move and refill, etc, it was determined that I should stay at my parents’ house for the week after the procedure.

Their place is one-story, they could install me in the guest room without too much inconvenience, and since they’re mostly retired and at home a lot, I’d have a built in staff of minions to attend to my needs.

When convalescing from surgery, minions are very good indeed. It took me about negative 2 seconds to agree to this plan, though I must admit I was a bit leery of hobbling around on crutches with Chloe the German Sherpherd on the loose.

Chloe, who had leaped up on me the day I came to sing with my band at their backyard fundraiser, almost knocking me over and leaving a 5-inch welt on my thigh.

Chloe, whose tail alone is registered with the State of California as a lethal weapon (or should be).

Dog Love

I shouldn’t have worried.

Chloe, it turns out, is equipped with some kind of genetic nursemaid programming, and took it upon herself to make sure I was okay.

She installed herself in the doorway of my room, never leaving my side. At the slightest moan or stirring, she was at my bedside, gazing at me with concern in her big, brown eyes.

She instinctively knew to be gentler in her movements and to get out of my way when I had to crutch over to the bathroom.

She even made sure to bring me her bone at every opportunity. And although I really have no need or desire for her bone, I appreciate that to her it was a very special gift indeed.

In other words, Chloe showered me with love.

Pure, authentic doggy love.

There was not a shadow of a doubt that Chloe genuinely cared about my well-being, and wanted to help.

Which brings me (finally) to Customer Love. (I told you I’d get there.)

As any good marketer will tell you, people buy from people they know, like and trust.

How do you get people to know, like and trust you?

Love them.

(No, not the ερος love that Chris Anthony wrote about on Day 17. Get your mind out of the gutter!)

Really and truly care about what’s best for them (whether or not it will make you money), and make them know it.

Bring them your bone (metaphorically speaking, of course, and ideally a bone they’d actually, you know, want).

Shower them with all kinds of authentic love from your authentic self.

Show your customers Dog Love Customer Love—perhaps the most authentic kind of customer love there is.

Just like Chloe.

Until the weekend of my knee surgery, I could really take her or leave her.

After this week? I may be her biggest fan.

When someone loves and cares about you that much, you almost can’t help but love them back.

If Chloe were selling something that I had a need for, when it came time for me to buy, I’d be way more likely to buy from her than from someone else.

Would your customers say the same about you? If not, what could you do right now to show them that you truly care about what’s best for them? How can you authentically love your customers, the way Chloe authentically loved me?

You never know what Dog Love Customer Love might get you.

In Chloe’s case, who knows, she might even get to stay chez Melissa again.

Err… At least after my white carpet is gone.

p.s. Here’s a short video of Chloe:

Photo credit

melissa

This post really does have to do with Customer Love, I swear. I’m getting there.

The problem with Chloe, the German Shepherd

And what does all of this have to do with Customer Love, you may well be wondering?

Dog Love

There was not a shadow of a doubt that Chloe genuinely cared about my well-being, and wanted to help.

Just like Chloe.

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This post really does have to do with Customer Love, I swear. I’m getting there.

The problem with Chloe, the German Shepherd

And what does all of this have to do with Customer Love, you may well be wondering?

Dog Love

There was not a shadow of a doubt that Chloe genuinely cared about my well-being, and wanted to help.

Just like Chloe.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Leave a Comment
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