COLUMBUS, Ind. — The keynote speaker for the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting delivered a timely message to the area business community a full house at The Commons on Thursday: More than ever, time is of the essence when it comes to satisfying customers.
Bloomington-based Jay Baer, a seventh-generation small business owner, member of the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and a New York Times bestselling author, told hundreds attending the annual gathering that exceeding customer expectations on timeliness is a key to winning trust and business.
“I believe the next competitive business advantage that each and every one of us can and should work on is speed. The reality is, we care about time more than ever,” he said, particularly after the pandemic. “… Today, we interpret speed as caring.”
As a consequence of the pandemic, Baer said, a lot of business trends are a reflections of how much more people now value their time. Those include, he said, “employees wanting a different relationship with their employer, people quitting, the great resignation, work from home … all of those trends are the exact same trend: We care about time, and how we spend it, more than ever.”
When businesses respond to or serve customers faster than they expect, Baer said, “it feels like you’re giving them a gift — the gift of time. But conversely, if it takes you longer to execute than they expect, it feels like you are stealing time from them.”
For the complete story and more about the chamber’s awards, pick up a Friday Republic.
