Page 164 - Free the Idea Monkey

REVERSE THE ANTICORPORATE SLANT
The impassioned polemic, otherwise known as the movie The

Corporation, asked people to describe big business.
Among their answers:
• “Self-interested”
• “Inherently amoral”
• “Callous and deceitful”
• “It breaches social and legal standards
to get its way”
• “It does not suffer guilt”
Yes, the movie has an anticorporate slant. But Harris Interactive

chose its people at random and companies would not have scored at
the bottom of the pack if those surveyed thought of workplaces in the
same light as Mother Teresa.

So this is what you are up against. People think companies are
inherently bad. It’s no wonder they don’t believe you when you say
you are customer-centric, no matter how many times you profess
you are.

21ST CENTURY RESPONSIBILITY
But you can change that. The 21st century, with wikis, blogs and

the millions of niche online communities, etc., allows us to create a
more level playing field when it comes to customer relationships. It’s
now possible for us to share with consumers what we as companies
are really all about and what we believe, face-to-face, so to speak.

That’s a big responsibility. Is your company up to it?
The bad news is you can’t hide from these innovations. They
are now part of the daily fabric of most of your customers’ lives.
Even more bad news: if you’re opting out, by default, your absence
will brand you as antisocial and insincere when it comes to being
customer-centric.
The good news is that the innovative technology you need to use
is the easy part. The better news is if your intentions are authen-
tic, your marketing budget is certain to experience exponential
efficiency with infinite potential. And the best news is that social

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