This question often comes up when I am presenting the Nurture philosophy to CEO groups. It’s like a light just went on in their mind. One leaned back in his chair and simply said, “BINGO”. Members are always keen to get such sudden insights from others examined on the spot, with full exploration.

A cohort asked, WHAT?” He paused a minute looked up and spoke, fast at first, seeming to want to explode the whole ‘ah ha’ in one burst, but soon slowed the pace and in a steady voice explained. He said this Nurture concept was a lynchpin solution, one he had been seeking for a decade. The missing piece to his ability to cultivate and earn the business he wanted and stop scavenging.

He went on to describe how, from the very start, he had carefully knitted a best in-class team to produce a solution that was truly innovative, if not downright revolutionary, in his industry. He described slow but steady growth and explained two problems that had long nagged him. One was the slow but sure attrition of existing clients and the other was gaining access to and ultimately of influence with true decision makers in selected companies. He acknowledged an all too often approach to marketing as being that of “if you build it, they will come” and selling was essentially a misunderstood and often ignored altogether, feelings about the subject. He explained that the preponderance of the team were highly educated, deeply analytical and fast thinking people. Selected more for their precision than their social skills. Most-Unlikely to become natural-nurturers.
Listening with rapt attention, all eyes were on him as he spoke-on quietly as if he were narrating a story.

He said that it had slowly dawned on him as he listened that there was a way to turn a vital yet easily overlooked business function into a carefully crafted and automated process of nurturing customer relationships by communicating the right messages to the right people at the right time and doing it a of the time using simple CRM applications. I got it! He said that is seemed to him like a unique way he could become more effective and proactive in business development as well as retention and best of all, a pragmatic way to do it without having to spend a ton on media advertising or undergo a complete personality transfusion. Then  he stopped and looked me straight in the eye and asked softly, “How does one go about becoming a nurturing company?”.

Not having planned for that important question, I asked for some time to think about it and promised to send him a more complete list of the actual steps that I believe are necessary for such a transition.

Now, here is my request. Will you send me, via this blog post, your own thoughts and a perhaps a list of ten or more steps you would recommend that I send this gentleman to  smooth his transformation to and integration of a culture of nurturing.
As an inducement to you helping with this, for every submission that I include in my final response will be acknowledged and appreciated with a
free copy of our newest eBook, “101 Best BUSINESS Love-Letters” Best ways to say thank-you, I acknowledge you, I appreciate you, or whatever sentiment you wish to express, all categorized in a simple cut, paste, edit, sign and send format.

So, what would you tell him?

Good Nurturing

Jim