PLEASE give me the strength to keep smiling about #PPI & a big #fackoff spam button for my 'phone

Every day for months now the telephone goes – no surprises there. It has a tendency to do that from time to time. Sometimes it does it lots of times in a very short period of time.

On some days when it is quiet, my face lights up at the thought of speaking with another human being. When you work on your own, things like that matter.

BUT when I answer the telephone only to hear yet another recorded voice that is designed to interrupt my very interesting thought processes I am not best pleased. My patience must be wearing very thin because instead of just ignoring the intrusion as normal, I have found myself swearing rather vehemently at a tinpot robot voice far more frequently than I like.

Quite frankly I don’t care that you think you can claim back thousands from mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance. I couldn’t give a fig that the banks have LOST BOO HOO whatever legal case that seems to matter to you so much and I care even less that you believe that you have the magical powers to wave your twinkly wand over my world and send little gold coins falling from the sky straight into my living room.

The thing that gets me more than anything is the fact that these companies have this stupid notion that disruption marketing works. Sadly I suspect that they get enough responses to justify their approach. Will it last though?

I think that “consumers’ choice” will win and they will not be able to get away with it. I personally want a BIG spam button on my telephone which I can calmly press (or violently stab) every time I get such a call.

On Twitter lots of people complaining about these nuisance calls ….. they have occupied our lives like some alien parasite.

The valuable lesson of course is that this is the absolute antithesis of the best relationship marketing. I know that it is futile trying to cause an inhuman object pain but I can’t help noticing just how vindictive I feel to a supplier I will never buy from because they have annoyed me so much. That cannot be good for business.

Smooch me, court me, tempt me, seduce me but please do NOT bludgeon me, use emotional blackmail or play on false hopes and dreams to get business from me. Get to know me. Learn to love me. Find out more about me and I might become your friend and buy useful and valuable services from you. There is no other way to get my attention and loyalty.

These experiences make me want to go to the ends of the earth and back to get to know my clients. It matters to me enormously to know and understand what matters to them.

I want to put balm on their wounds and make them feel safe and secure so that they know that I have their best interests at heart. I want to reach out and offer a helping hand when they need it most and work with them to spot the best opportunities to expand and grow their business.

Atrocious marketing anywhere makes me want to be superlatively brilliant at working WITH people so that together we do a great job. It matters to me that there is love and joy in all that we do.

Have you been inspired to act in a completely opposite way in your business because of the way that you have been treated elsewhere?

Do you treat customers differently because of the way you have been treated as a customer?