A little help when you most need it

Have you ever experienced important changes to your outlook on life as a result of small events? I did recently, when I visited South Africa to see some of my family - and to review business with our distributor there.

The business meeting went well, but I then set off on a random store check. In one supermarket, I was frustrated to see the shelves denuded of the products we supply. However my misery was short-lived because as I wandered further around the store I discovered a demonstrator cooking with our products. It was her enthusiasm and zeal that had created the sales demand.

I introduced myself and in turn she introduced me to a loyal customer who told me about the first time she cooked a meal using our products for her husband - and how he had commented on the unfamiliar taste but how much he enjoyed the food. His wife actually had to retrieve the jar from the rubbish bin to provide the evidence that the sauce was bought rather than home-made. She assured me her children loved the tastes too - and they often took filled wraps to school for their lunch.

Sometimes in the course of managing growth - with the inevitable meetings for finance, with contractors, with management teams, reviewing marketing plans.and all of the pace and demands that brings - it is possible to lose sight of the reason we are in business. I certainly was in need of being refreshed and re-invigorated and that chance, brief encounter with happy customers on the other side of the world served to remind me about our achievements.and the reason that I come to work each day.

I read an article by Terry Leahy in The Daily Telegraph recently and I was struck by his resolute focus on the customer and his or her needs. Too often, we mistakenly think only marketing teams should be customer focused. In reality, customer satisfaction should be the prime consideration of all business men and women - and you invariably need to get out of the office to do it.