What's in it for me?

I was having a discussion the other day with Alan from the Wolf Studio. I had given him some compression gear to give away at a Clinic and he said he loved giving Zoot product to people not because it was the greatest product but because he believed in doing business with people he liked. Since he knows a good many of us at Zoot he promotes our little brand.
In my business life and in my personal life I think that statement is as solid as I can think of. At Road Runner Sports I was given the opportunity to run a monster shoe business. During that time I did some big business with people I wasn't super fond of and I failed at doing business with people I really liked working with. But the real successful business that lasted a long time was done with people I really liked doing business with. There were guys that were simply hated in the industry at large that I really liked working with and we did some huge business together. I don't think I ever played favorites during that time but I know that I had a great deal more interaction with those people I liked and who liked me and somehow or another the business grew.
The same is true in my personal life. I'd rather pay full retail price to someone I like working with rather than go save a few dollars at the place I don't know or don't really like. I actually think that mentality takes most people some getting used to. Take for instance Gordon at Velo Hanger. I work in the triathlon industry and the product I'm in charge of shows up in a number of retail doors. I got a new bike last year through a pro deal and took it into a local bike shop that we deal with as a company. Fully willing to pay full price to get it built. The bike sat in that shop for months not getting touched. When if finally did get touched it was done completely wrong. It's now been almost a year since it arrived and I've ridden it twice. The other week I took it to Gordon. He used to work at a different shop but now is on his own doing his own thing. He built my bike right, dialed it in correctly and I paid him more than he asked. It was worth every penny I paid him to get the bike done right.

So yes, I joyfully agree that I'd rather do business with people I like. Because what's in it for me is a life of liking doing business.

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There are a few things changing with this blog as well as the other two I sometimes write in. The change will come slowly so don't sit on pins and needles. First up I opened up a Facebook page for Endorphin Fanatics. If you like what I write, become a fan. For the first few weeks I'm simply going to post questions  on things I notice. Any answers may lead to future writing or research.

I sometimes look at the statistics on this blog and I'm blown away at the number of page views every month. I thank you all for reading it.

It's a good life....
Dave