Harvard Business Publishing

I apologize if this message is a repeat. I tried posting and then lost the connection.

Interesting comparison of the two candidates approach to customer/member intimacy. In addition, to the warm fuzzy feeling that one would get from the Senator from Illinois the member is actually getting some tangible value in return. Tips on how to manage your public profile. I betting that this is just the beginning.

I work for a large professional membership organization which earns a substantial portion of its operating income to non-dues revenue, which comes from the sale and licensing of products and services. As such we have, members who are customers, members who aren't customers(in the product/service sense) customers who are not members and non-customer non-members. While we grade out very well on traditional measures of customer service, we are not as intimate with our members and customers as I believe we should.

One of the dilemma's that we are faced with is how do we strike the appropriate balance between members and customers. Both are vital to the organization. One group provides dues revenue and political clout. The other provides revenue and feedback on our products and services. One question that comes to mind, is How do membership organizations, that have a broader mission than to just service dues-paying members, strike the appropriate balance and start treating customers more like members while not alienating the rank and file dues paying member.

It's frightening to think that the possibility of voting online for a President of the United States is on the (abeit distant) horizon. Candidates, and in fact, all of us, had better wise-up to the fact that the next generation gets much of its information online... much of it inaccurate (and at worst, outright wrong). Unless we come to grips with this reality, our society could face serious problems in the future as a result.

Businesses need, repeat NEED to find a way to get their messages out that appeal to both the traditional comsumer base and the Gen Y-ers.

A friend of mine pointed out that in the past, information was often exchanged in coffee houses and pubs... but most of us were prepared enough to filter out the hogwash when evaluating the validity of the information and the source. The internet is changing not only the way people obtain information, but the education provided people in terms of how they are taught to evaluate that information. Blogs, "wikipedias", and other on-line resources contain user-driven content which, while frequently referenced users, is rarely fact-checked by them ...and fact-checked equally rarely by those who post.

"...sucks.com" regulations and other mechanisms are creeping into the e-sphere, but mediating the influence of online content is going to be the next battle fought in the the classrooms and homes of those who think they rely on it's validity.

Businesses, who are at least regulated in what they can claim in the public domain, need to adapt in order to educate their potential consumers, or risk the possibility damage done by some (or many) rogues who simply have an axe to grind.

I was interested to read the difference in customer approach between these two candidates. I must also say I was not surprised their online approach seemed consistent with my impression of their TV persona. In my health care management consulting business, I find the transactions must be relationship based. It become imperative to actively listen, recognize each individual in a unique respectful way.