The Customer is Always Right
Anyone with a pulse in the marketing realm has heard the adage 'The customer is always right'.
There is no question I believe this as a customer. As a marketer? I wouldn't be entirely forthcoming if I answered in the affirmative. There is no question that I respect our customers and value their business. They are the sole reason I bring home a paycheck. But they are not always right. Yes, I have my customer service war stories as I'm sure you do too.
It's been noted that H. Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridges and man who coined this popular phrase, ended up dying both insane and penniless. The cynical side of me is not surprised.
Some customers are right and you must go that extra mile for them. Especially if you are in the wrong as the vendor. For high-value customers, some businesses will go that extra mile for them even when they are 'wrong'.
However, if I had to go by a mantra it would be "Take care of your customers or someone else will". I think it's a lot more realistic than some blanket statement about all customers.
Either that or the comment a senior flight attendant once told me my first month on the job from my flying days. "Our jobs would be so much easier if it wasn't for the passengers!"
