B.Lab

Get Boundaryless
I work at a company where social initiatives (both web and non-web) could have tremendous potential for improving customer-to-company communication which in turn would help the company grow out of its slow-moving, disconnected state. By creating boundaryless channels between the company, our employees and our customers, what we lose through relinquishing some control of our brand we gain through a sustainable advantage of loyalty and fresh new ideas.

Get Social or Die Lonely
Companies die everyday because the value that they bring to the market does not endure in an environment of competition and changing value. When thinking about their profit and loss many companies ask, “How can we get the most revenue for the least value offered to customers?” Is this the sort of company you want to own or work at? Probably not, since it isn’t sustainable. Before you know it someone will come along who doesn’t hesitate to provide more value and you’re out of a job. To sustain our business we need to talk to our customers everyday and improve or change the value we’re providing them that actually exceeds their expectations.

Talk, Talk, Talk (Not Stalk)
How can we do this if we don’t engage in conversations with our customers? And I don’t mean conversation mining, I mean REAL conversations as inefficient as that might sound. And don’t stop there. We need to simultaneously be having conversations with employees, partners, suppliers and even competitors (who may be partners before you know it, ie. game theory). Am I talking about social media? Well, only partially since it’s just one tool. Why not have face-to-face conversations (like staff do at Whole Foods)? Why shouldn’t we get to know our customers by their first name (like they do at the local bar in my neighborhood) since they in essence help feed our families? Sustainability is about having social discourse that allows all parties to win.

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