Key Messages
Why Business Needs To Rekindle The Romance: A Guide To Human Connections In A Digital World
The idea of romance often brings to mind images of candlelit dinners and bouquets of roses.
But romance isn’t just relegated to poets and Shakespearean sonnets.
In the business world, there is a growing trend towards adopting a “romantic” approach when it comes to customer and employee interactions.
The Business Romantic by Tim Leberecht highlights how today’s businesses must not only be successful but also meaningful in order to attract the customer and worker of the 21st century.
Through examining the growing social networks, he uncovers how paying people in pizza or sending them off with a special gift can draw customers in and keep them happy – something that cannot always be said for quite literally burying your head in number-crunching or sticking strictly to routines.
His book focuses on why society is teaching us to reach out to people as well as mistrust them at the same time, as well as highlighting why you should show particular haste when leaving a business setting.
So while traditional romance certainly has its place, businesses looking for long-term success would do best by rethinking their approach to modern romance!
Making The Shift To Business Romantics: How To Create Connections And Fulfillment In The Workplace
Millennials are a generation that is more interested in finding meaning from their work than simply pursuing the paycheck.
This makes sense, given that most of them have grown up with easy access to the world via social media, so they understand the importance of making connections with other people.
Unfortunately, many employers fail to recognize or meet this need for meaning and purpose.
Rather than getting meaningful feedback on their job performance and opportunities to pursue greater goals, Millennials often find themselves stuck doing mundane tasks with little motivation.
As a result, studies show that just 13% of Millennials worldwide are fully engaged in their jobs while 63% are not engaged at all and 24% are actively disengaged.
The research shows how important it is for employers to provide Millennials with meaningful work – and those who do can reap the rewards.
Harvard Business Review found that employees who felt emotionally invested in their job were more likely to be satisfied, stay with their company longer and be more productive too.
Overall, it’s clear that employers should stop missing out on the Millennial talent pool and start providing meaningful opportunities for growth if they want employees to truly commit themselves to the company’s success!
The Power Of Socializing At Work: It’S Way More Important Than You Think
It’s clear that when it comes to making businesses and workforces more successful, human connection is king.
That was made obvious in a 2013 study conducted by the London School of Economics which found that the only aspect of work contributing to happiness similar to what we find outside of the workplace was casual interactions with coworkers.
Unfortunately, our employers have always focused on efficiency and productivity over having healthy and happy employees, which has led to a situation where 87 percent of workforces are feeling unmotivated or disengaged from their companies.
This is why the author believes it is essential for businesses to ditch the idea that chatting with colleagues will harm productivity.
In fact, allowing workers to connect with each other through casual conversations can greatly increase employee satisfaction.
For example, during his experiment called “15 Toasts”, he invited 15 strangers from various backgrounds who had no clue what they were getting themselves into.
What happened? Well, instead of letting them debate prearranged topics, he gave them the opportunity to engage as human beings by asking them for their insights about what defines a good life – and the results were overwhelmingly positive!
The ultimate takeaway here is this: Human connection beats mere productivity every time and we should never forget that!
Incorporating Generosity In The Workplace For A More Positive Environment
The business romantic philosophy suggests that the gift of giving can be a powerful tool to revitalize your workplace.
When we give, we don’t only make the recipient happy – we also experience joy and feel like better people.
Adam Grant, professor at Wharton Business School, explored this idea in his book “Give and Take” and found that employees who have been encouraged to be generous often have significantly improved motivation levels.
One great way to encourage altruism among employees is to offer them the chance to give something while they’re still carrying out their tasks For example, Anthon Berg created a pop-up shop in Copenhagen where customers pay with their promise of performing a good deed for someone else.
Reddit took this concept even further with its campaign “Random Acts of Pizza”, which allows users to buy pizza for others based on how funny, entertaining or creative their pizza requests were.
This idea encouraged generosity by allowing people to give without any expectation of anything in return – making Reddit an even more enjoyable place to work or use as a platform.
Creating a culture of giving doesn’t just benefit employee morale; it can also improve collaboration, innovation, service excellence, and quality assurance – helping your business thrive in today’s world!
Find The Happy Medium To Make Customers Embrace Difficult Experiences For Your Product
Customers are more attracted to products that provide them with an opportunity to grow and take on a challenge.
That’s why so many people camp out in front of the Apple store, or why IKEA is popular; both give the customers a sense of satisfaction that goes beyond just the product itself, even if it involves a little bit of work or frustration.
The idea here is that customers want to do something for their purchase beyond simply handing over their hard-earned money.
By finding ways to integrate challenges into their customer experience, companies can create dramatic moments and make customers feel rewarded – resulting in higher perceived value for their products and loyalty from customers who appreciate being challenged!
Don’T Overshare To Connect Romantics – Pique Customer Interest With Your Mystique
Having a successful business isn’t just about being honest and transparent.
For many firms, cultivating a bit of mystique is key to connecting with customers and inspiring loyalty.
By playing up their mysteriousness, companies can reach the hearts — and wallets — of customers.
McKinsey is a great example.
Fortune has labeled McKinsey both the most well-known and the most secretive consulting firm on Earth, proving that a little secrecy goes a long way.
They focus on emphasizing their professionalism and expertise, while keeping details that could make them less mysterious under wraps.
Even clients who they’ve worked with are asked not to share what was done for them.
All of this helps create an air of mystery that draws in potential clients.
If you want your business to be considered romantic by your customers, give off an alluring charm by holding onto some secrets!
Good Endings Are Vital To Strengthen Both Business And Customer Relationships
Romantic businesses understand the importance of closing customer and employee relationships on a positive note.
The airline industry is an example of this – they often face delays and waiting lines, so to make the best of things, they ensure the end of the flight experience is all the more pleasant.
KLM goes a step further with their miniature ceramic houses containing schnapps to charm their business-class passengers at departures.
The same holds true for inner business relationships as well.
When it’s time to say goodbye, taking extra care in your parting words can have a huge impact on how people are remembered and perceived.
For instance, when Groupon founder and CEO Andrew Mason resigned, he wrote a letter to his employees that began with humour, acknowledged the changes he had overseen, wished them luck and ended with him saying “I was fired today.” His graceful departure provided closure for everyone involved.
Wrap Up
The Business Romantic is a book that provides actionable advice on how to create an engaging and rewarding workplace, while also cultivating customer loyalty.
The key message of this book is that businesses need to recognize what customers want and provide them with unique experiences, instead of just products or services.
To do this, companies should create authentic experiences by incorporating altruism, creative challenges and even the personal touch into the workplace.
Furthermore, they should be sure to open up their offices with open-plan spaces and comfortable discussion areas so that employees can feel closer together.
This will lead to happier, more engaged, and more productive employees, who are also likely to stay loyal customers for a business.
