Day 22: The Four Mantras of (Customer) Love

I have recently found myself greatly interested in a variety of philosophies and religion.  When reading spiritual text, you notice a few things:

• Nearly all of them have intensely profound implications
• Without a knowledge of history and culture, many are horribly bland

Yet one contemporary author has transcended this paradox and reaches across theological and social boundaries to be as accessible as possible: Thich Nhat Hanh; he is a Buddhist teacher who has deep roots both in the East and in the West.

I was nearing the end of his recent book, You Are Here, where I was intrigued to see a discussion of love entitled,  Cultivating True Love.

He shares four mantras on true love, which I want to share with you today.  As I reflected on them, I started to see how each one applies not only in our personal lives but in our business lives as well; the mantras have no boundaries.

1. Dear one, I am here for you.

The first and most simple is that you show up for your reader.  Not just as an anonymous force behind a technological veil, but that you are here for them. You’ve got their back.  When you are blogging, you’re not doing a million other things, you are focused on being there with and for your reader.

2. Dear one, I know that you are here, alive, and that makes me very happy

Share your joy!  It is incredible that your readers have taken minutes and hours out of their lives in order to learn from  and engage with you.  What a miracle. Be aware of it every time you post something new.  Express your gratitude at every opportunity.  Serve those that you are happy to serve.

3. Dear one, I know that you are suffering.  That is why I am here for you.

Your readers and customers have needs and challenges.  Most of us blog in order to engage, to share and to teach; when we teach, it is wise to share our knowledge that will alleviate the suffering and aide in the challenges of those who follow us. When you create a product during this Customer Love Challenge, make helping your customer the highest priority.

4. Dear one, I am suffering. I need your help.

The fourth and hardest mantra in life and business: asking for help.  Our pride and our ego are often in the way of asking for help when we need it.  When we struggle to truly know what our audience wants from us, many of us retract and do not ask.  We would rather be prideful and wander in the dark, colliding with walls, than ask the people that know the answer.

When our products do not launch as we suspect, we do not turn to our potential customers and ask feedback; instead, we often place blame and make excuses.  Asking for help is the hardest of the mantras, yet shows the deepest commitment to your relationship with your customers.  It is a great sign of trust – being vulnerably yourself, even when you don’t know what to do – and your audience will see it.

The Four Mantras in Your Life & Business

Bringing any and all of these mantras into your life and business will be a challenge.  Think about them.  See if there is room for them in your daily life.  Think if you can apply them to your Customer Love efforts.

Which one is easiest and which one is most challenging for you?  Leave a comment and let’s talk about it.

Task: Apply one of the mantras through your interactions with your potential customers today.