When reading marketing blogs, I am often amazed at how much of the message is still about the company attitude and culture rather than about the product or the marketing of it. The New Marketing, if you can call it that, rightfully proclaims that true marketing begins the moment your earn your first dollar. Every moment forward from there, you are in the marketing business whether you like it or not, whether your processes are designed to handle it or not, whether your products and services are up to it or not.

Yet it's amazing to me that this message continues to be forcefully reiterated. Haven't we seriously moved past this yet? Are we still not to the point where doing business "the old fashioned way"—with integrity, an eye (maybe even two eyes) to the customer, with the intention of not just being "good enough," but masterful in pleasing our customers—is considered the norm, rather than the exception?

Apparently not, since the marketing blog scene is still saying it. Obviously the message hasn't quite gotten around yet, because some of us are still making the same mistakes over and over. We still create and maintain processes that ultimately serve us, not the customer. We make our terms and conditions hard to understand. We make our voice mail systems unnavigable. We build "out" clauses into contracts. Most, if not all decisions are made with our own end goals in mind, and the customer's only secondarily, if at all.

So it got me thinking—if I was a customer, of this, or any business, what would I really want? Sure, it's the oldest marketing cliché in the book--"If you were us, what would you want us to be doing differently?" But it still needs to be addressed.

Now let me be up front by saying that at Open22, I hope we aren't doing these things. I hope we aren't making our customers feel like they're simply a means to an end. I hope they feel that we are committed to providing them exceptional, quality service at a fair price, with an attitude and spirit of gratitude for trusting us with their business. I know that Mike and Denise, Branden and I take very seriously the quality of effort we produce.

So if I was a customer, what would I really want?

1. I want to know that you're listening. That when explaining my needs, you're actually going to address them, not your bottom line.

2. At the same time, I want the company be innovative. Think of solutions I haven't thought of yet. Come up with unique, creative ideas that will ultimately make my life better. Show me how to do something differently if it's going to be an improvement.

3. I'd want to know that when I was getting billed, that I was only paying for work actually done. I don't want to be paying for employee "fluff" time just to make billable hours look higher than they really are.

4. If something goes wrong, I want to be treated fairly. I realize there are limits to what businesses can do at times. I realize that modern day consumers have to be informed, conscientious decision-makers. At the same time, that doesn't give businesses the right to shirk their responsibilities. Fulfill promises and warranties without question and without hesitation. Don't patronize me by "hiding behind the system."

5. Stay informed about current events, products, and software. Help me understand which solutions will really meet my needs, and which ones are a waste of time.

6. Have a community presence. Give something back from time-to-time. Volunteer at a school, donate to a good cause.

7. Treat me with respect. Don't push me into buying something I don't need. Give me the best information, then let me make the decision.

8. Be reasonably polite and professional in conversation and demeanor. You don't have to be Steve Jobs, but acting like the night manager at the local fast food joint probably isn't a good idea either. Act like being a member of the human race is something worthwhile.

9. Have a sense of humor. I don't need a stand-up routine, but at least show me that when life throws you a high-and-tight curveball, you can get your backside off the dirt and laugh about it afterwards.

10. Never forget that I, the customer, chose you, not the other way around. Unless you actually believe that your business is better served by me spending my money elsewhere, don't ever treat that decision lightly. Even in a small way, I've invested a level of trust simply by walking through your doors or calling you on the phone. Betraying that trust isn't just "business," it's personal.

-Steve