Every business is a people’s business. I learned this the hard way when I almost drove my design and consulting agency to the wall after a strategy pivot in 2019. Back then, I focused too much on the what and the how, and not enough on the ‚for whom‘. I viewed my clients as companies. As machines that need to be fixed. Accounts to be billed. What happened? Things got south.

Luckily I got rid of that BS. A little trick called „A Friend of a Friend“ helped me turn things around.

Acquisition thinking: „Close the deal, keep them in the loop, don’t waste time on difficult customers, play save, make it cheaper, create pressure to act, create scarcity.“

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that customers don’t just want problems solved; they want to be treated as people with feelings, desires, dreams, fears and responsibilities. In short, they want to be seen, not targeted.

Here’s a little idea that always helps me get the right attitude towards customers.

The Friend of a Friend Mindset
Customers and prospects are not our friends. We should never make them feel like they are. Because once there’s a fire – on either side – disappointment is inevitable. Instead, it helps to think of them as friends of a friend.

I know this sounds strange at first. But here is the thing. If you give advice or work for a friend of a friend, you know they will talk about it afterwards.
And what do you want your friend to hear? You want her to hear that you did your best to help – even if it didn’t work out.

This little trick forces you to show your human side. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t strive for good business. But this will help you have more human conversations and create solutions that matter to people on an emotional level.