L.L. Bean’s Golden Rule
Monday, December 29th, 2008It’s year-end, the time of year when I clean out the file cabinet (the price of paper will go down once my contribution gets recycled into the supply chain).
I have a file for quotes, aphorisms, and other sayings that I like to pull out from time to time to help me stay focused on what really matters. I came across L.L. Bean’s Golden Rule for creating a successful business. I deemed it worthy of a post. So, for your consideration:
L.L. Bean’s Golden Rule
“Sell good merchandise at a reasonable profit, treat your customers like human beings, and they’ll always come back for more.”
What is a Customer?
- A customer is the most important person ever in this company – in person or by mail.
- A customer is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him.
- A customer is not an interruption of our work; he is the purpose of it.
- We are not doing a favor by serving him; he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.
- A customer is not someone to match wits with. Nobody ever won an argument with a customer.
- A customer is a person who brings us his wants. It is our job to handle them profitably to him and to ourselves.
