New Year's Resolutions for the Marketer

With New Year's Day comes the tradition of new year's resolutions.

Lose weight; exercise more; eat right; save money; spend less; read more; be more patient with my loved ones; be more considerate; invest more time in people; be less sarcastic; pray more. We set so many goals for ourselves as individuals, as family members, as friends, as human beings.

Do we set similar resolutions for ourselves as workers and business owners and public servants? I should think that we would seek to improve ourselves professionally as much as we do personally.

For myself in 2010, I resolve to adhere to the following principles as a marketer:

1. I will intentionally and humbly listen to my customers' opinions, complaints, and ideas.
2. I will continually refine my actions in order to offer better service to my customers.
3. I will do everything feasible to resolve my customers' grievances, meet their needs, and exceed their expectations.
4. I will look at my product from the perspective of the customer, not only from the perspective of the company.
5. I will view each new technology as another potential tool for serving my customers, not as a new gadget that will help us look snazzy.
   
6. I will approach all of my communications as dialogue, not monologue.
7. I will consider it my purpose to benefit society, not simply to make more money for myself.
8. I will cultivate a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in those working with me.
9. I will appreciate and respect the work of others in my organization.
10. I will seek to build better relationships with other departments in my organization.
    

Happy 2010!