“Peoplework businesses need to think of every single transaction as a person interacting with another person,” Allison says.
Resolution 2: Principle two is “Human Companies Win,” championing the idea that when a business treats customers like friends and families, they are more successful.
“The way most businesses think is more robotic than human. The way you win in a Peoplework era is being a human company,” Allison says. “We think about things like revenue, profit, gross margin, lead conversion rates, but contrast that with how you as a human being would treat another human being. How would you treat friends and family?
Most businesses care about customers but put the numbers and robotics first. If you can connect with humanity, creating loyalty is far greater than any increase in your margins.”
Smith cited the example of Tom’s shoes, which was founded by a former Amazing Race competitor who noticed many children not wearing shoes when he was in South America during the competition. He launched the company with the notion that for every pair bought, a second pair would be sent to a child of that country.
“He doubled the cost of goods sold but connected with humanity and the brand went viral,” Smith says.
Resolution 3: “Change Requires a Blueprint” is the third principle, with Allison calling change “the new normal” and stressing the importance of treating change as importantly as you treat your profits and losses.
“Change can either make or break you,” he says. “If you become a human company, it will pay huge dividends. If you change in the wrong way, it can also destroy you.”
Resolution 4: With the fourth principle, “Putting Purpose before Technology,” the idea is to tie any decisions you make back to what will help your business and create better experiences for buyers and sellers.
