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What if we voted in our elections for a business rather than a politician? Some might say we do that already because in the U.S. people running for president or senator or governor are usually wealthy and practically business entities all by themselves. However, that's not what I mean. I kind of like this photo of the Cadbury employee holding the sign outside of Britain's Parliament - I think I'd rather vote for a chocolate candy maker than some of the people running for office.
If a business were to run for office, what would you look for as reasons to give it your vote? Here's what I think a business would need to garner winning votes.
1. Delivering on promises.
- This is a big one. There are many products I buy for a second, third and multiple times simply because they deliver on their promises. I purchase a certain breakfast cereal because (a) it is organic, (b) it tastes really good, (c) it's healthy in that it's high in fiber, and (d) I looked up the parent company and find it to be a good citizen of the planet overall. I would vote for this breakfast cereal company. It promises its cereal is healthful, organic and good-tasting. And by golly it is...every box I buy. There is a restaurant in our community that my husband and I like to go to - it has a cowboy theme, it's a bit small and the bar is right there and noisy, however the food is good. Always. I'd definitely vote for it.
- Politicians don't always deliver on promises. A person might run on a personal platform of integrity and then when in office abuse their privileges. Businesses kind of have to deliver on promises or they don't stay profitable.
2. Truth in advertising.
- This is similar to #1 but not quite the same. During an election campaign both the person running for whatever office and the political party behind them make claims of one sort or another. The candidate might stand up at a town hall meeting and say that they come from "the working class" just like the crowd before them...only to have it revealed later that they were actually born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Politicians tend to make claims that are fuzzy around the edges and difficult to substantiate. A business cannot do this. If the hot dog label says "100% beef" it had better be so.
3. Available.
- When someone starts a business they generally realize they need customers to purchase their products or services in order to be profitable. By simple definition a business is an entity that sells products or services to end users. This could be the artist who paints a painting and then sells it to the person who then hangs it over their sofa. This could be the software company who sells both products and services through either their own retail outlet or to a wholesaler who then parses it out to retail. There are businesses who sell to the public at large and businesses who sell to other businesses. In all cases in order to be effective, the said business has to be available to its customers somehow and in someway.
- Back to my breakfast cereal example - the parent company probably sells through a wholesaler who then sells to the grocery store where I buy the cereal. In order to be profitable, the cereal maker has to make and ship the cereal. It has to make the product available for me to purchase. Also, the company has a website, a phone number and a mailing address so that I, the customer, can contact them if I choose to.
- Politicians are not always available. Once in office there are layers of clerks and aides who act as buffer. The sad reality is that some voters get very disappointed after the election because there seems to be no real way to reach the person they voted for.
4. Customer Service.
- This might seem a strange one to think in terms of a politician, but it's valid I think. Businesses might have great products, but if their customer service is bad, customers often will not repeat purchase. People don't like to be treated inconsiderately. People don't like to be ignored. The business that pays attention to building good will with its customers goes a long way to seeing profitability even if its products aren't golden. An example might be a fast food establishment. There is a location in my community of a hamburger eatery chain to which I go back from time to time. The burgers are good, the price is cheap but the service is exemplary. The staff in the eatery are friendly, helpful, cheerful and keep the inside clean and attractive. It makes it a pleasure to go there. If there is a problem with the meal ordered, they fix the problem promptly. And we're talking about a meal that costs less than $6 total. It's not the money value it's the human value that identifies customer service.
- Customer Service is an area where the political arena could take notes from that hamburger chain. There are times when it seems that only those with large checkbooks get "customer service" from a political candidate. Shouldn't be that way. The philosophy, at least in the U.S. is that elected officials are supposed to represent the people...all the people - and that includes the strictly-budgeted folks like me.
All-in-all it seems that there are many businesses that would do well in an election. I'd vote for the company that makes my breakfast cereal, the company that makes the yogurt I buy; I'd even vote for my family doctor [we don't often think of our family doctor's practice as a business do we?] who gives great customer service and added value.
There are millions of businesses in the world, both big and tiny, who deliver on their promises, maintain truth in advertising, are available to their constituencies, and give superlative customer service. I would vote for them.
