Monday, I stopped in our local gas station and while in line I overheard a discussion between two men. One was telling the other about a not-so-positive experience he had had with a local business. Before long, the line I was in had grown to more than 6 people, so there were plenty of people within earshot of this conversation. The most recent addition to our line of people waiting to pay the cashier was evidently another local and prominent business man who also happened to be a customer of this local business to which the two men were discussing. When he heard parts of the conversation, he joined in, curious to know the extenuating circumstances of this complaint. By this time I was at the counter to pay for my soda and I left, but it got me thinking about what was going to happen next for that local business. Would that prominent business man continue his patronage? Would he research and find out the truth of the complaint? Who else heard this complaint? How would this impact the local businessman?
One underlying thought stayed with me, be good to your customers. Always. You never know who they will have influence over.