Shep Hyken

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American philosopher, is often credited with saying, “It's not the destination, it's the journey.” The idea is that the journey is just as important—maybe even more so—than arriving at the destination.

In a recent Amazing Business Radio episode, I interviewed Rony Vexelman, the VP of marketing at Optimove , who said, Companies that put their customers at the center are the companies that are outperforming their competition.

With almost every executive (93%) agreeing that building trust is good for the company, why is there such a big difference between perception and reality?

I took this idea to heart – being interesting by showing more interest – when I was dating. I would ask lots of questions to get to know my date. They did most of the talking, yet they still said that I was a great conversationalist. The same idea applies to business. If you want your customers to be interested in doing business with you, be interested in them.

Customer satisfaction scores are on the rise. getty According to Capterra , a division of Gartner , in the past two years, customer

When employees feel empowered, appreciated, and supported, they pass those positive feelings on to the customers. I've said it many times before: “What happens on the inside of the organization is felt on the outside by the customers.”

A partnership is a vendor relationship on steroids. getty

My friend Norman Beck sends me interesting articles and stories on a regular basis. Recently, he shared the story of a wealthy customer who entered a luxury store and asked to see a $25,000 chess set. The customer wasn't dressed well, and the salesperson made the assumption that she couldn't afford to buy it. The customer walked away, but before leaving the store, she visited the owner's office, who also happened to be a close friend. She bought the chess set – but only after the owner promised not to give the salesperson a commission.

Customer service week is a week to show how much you appreciate your employees. getty

If you're reading this article the day it comes out, then next week – the first full week of October – is Customer Service Week. This special week was created in the 1980s when the International Customer Service Association suggested that organizations should recognize the employees who create the experience that gets customers to say,