The Relationship

1. Preparation. You obsess with how you look. You practice all the smart things you will say. You think of all the situations that may come up and how you will react. You look in the mirror and ask for council. Ready?

2. The search. You look thought the crowd to find the one that catches your eye. Are they there? Do you settle or move on to somewhere new? While you are seeking your prey you too may be stalked - does someone approach you?

3. The meet. You catch each others eye. Can you keep each others attention? Will you respond to each other?

4. Breaching the wall. You play on every word; laugh at the jokes; add a few more refreshments and you start to reel them in. You are addressing their objections and smoothing out some of the friction but not all because you want to keep them on edge. Just a bit, so you can stay in control.

5. The Score. Nuf said.

6. Dating. You decide there is more to this relationship and start working on it. The feeling is mutual. You grow & flourish by supporting each others needs.

7. Plateau. You think you know everything that is going to happen so you stop trying to impress and start to take each other for granted. You start to focus on yourself and your own needs. No more excitement.

8. The fall. Others start to pique your interest. You are enticed by the opportunity. You start to make subtle changes so you can take advantage of these situations.

9. Break-up. The accumulated baggage begins to weigh down on you so you bail for greener pastures. You just don’t have the energy to save this relationship.

10. Catharsis. You talk about the loss with anyone that will listen - completely ignoring all TMI rules while shifting the blame away from yourself.

11. Dating. You start dating a new one and blissfully think this is the one.

Is this how you treat your customers?