I got an interesting call today from a business to whom I’ve been pretty loyal over the last few years.  I’ve never been a big customer for them, just one of those customers who buys regularly, pays their bills on time, and generally keeps things moving.  This business (like many others now days) is struggling with the downturn in the economy.  I was in there the other day and the employees were there and the merchandise was there, but the store was like a ghost town.  Not a single customer (other than me) in the whole store.  I left wondering how they could continue.

That brings us to today.  I got a message on my phone saying it was them, they were hoping I had a merry Christmas, and if there was anything they could do for me, let them know.  Pretty nice.  Right?  Well, not so fast.  Where were they the last few Christmases?  How come I never got a call until now?  Have all the big customers gone away and I’ve finally bubbled up the food chain far enough to be recognized?

Don’t get me wrong.  Just like everybody else, I like to be recognized.  But when you’re too busy for me (by and large) for years, and then suddenly come alive, I have to wonder what your motive is.  It’s kind of like buying flowers for my wife.  If I bring them home out of the blue, I’m a good guy and they have real meaning.  On the other hand, if I only buy them after a fight, they seem pretty empty.  In fact, after years of just that situation, some wives come to associate flowers with something negative and really don’t like to receive them at all.

The moral to this story is to care about all your customers when times are good.  That way, when times are hard and you really need them, you don’t have to worry what they’ll be thinking when you call them.