Forget Not Who Writes the Check

When you get right down it, business can pretty much be summed up like this.  Company makes product.  Company sells product to customer.  Customer writes check.  Company gets paid.  Employee gets paid. 

Complex, isn’t it? 

I was in a physician’s office for a 9 a.m. appointment.  It was a busy morning, so I arrived early with the hope of being seen quickly.  In fact, I was the first patient to sign in.  A few minutes later, a pharmaceutical rep walked in the office and greeted the clerk. 

I immediately wondered whether the physician would see me, his patient, first, or the salesman.  Would the doctor remember who was writing the check?  About five minutes later, I overhead the physician tell the clerk that he would see the salesman.  The clerk stepped to the door and invited the rep to come back. 

I sat there for a moment and thought:  “Wait.  That didn’t just happen, did it?”

I walked to the counter and told the clerk to cancel my appointment.  Puzzled, she asked if I would like to reschedule.  I declined.  I walked out the door, 100 percent convinced that she had no idea why I was leaving.   

I left without writing a check. 

Here’s some time well spent.  Think about those critically important people called customers.  Think about the encounters your organization has with them.  Take steps to make sure those amazingly wonderful people always move to the front of the line.    

In other words, never forget who writes the check.