This week, we met with one of our current partners to discuss expanding our role in their organization – and for a specific initiative. At one point, they paused and asked us why we thought they should consider HL Group for this opportunity.
I could go on for a bit over the functional and technical reasons in favor of mobilePLUS (feel free to contact me if you want to hear them). But the answer I offered focused on our team and approach to business – hopefully, that “makes the difference.”
Let me give you a little background.
The Approach Difference
One of my proudest memories of our company is when our first DOD customer made a statement to his counterpart at another military base about selecting our solution. His exact words were, “there are a lot of companies that can supply this type of solution, but this company makes the difference.”
We didn’t find out about this comment until months after we were already engaged with the new project.
Getting unsolicited comments like that from customers, partners, employees, or others in your business community are priceless. It lets you know your doing the right things based on your everyday behaviors, not guided answers to solicited surveys.
One of the foundations for HL Group is our relationship with our customers which now goes back 25 years. It is why we still have some of our original customers – and some that have returned to us after trying others.
Our Group Principles
The 3 Key Principles we strive for internally – and externally – are:
- Respect – Treat everyone as you desire to be treated.
- Communications – Keep everyone up to date on activities-both good & bad.
- Integrity – Always do the right things for everyone, not just yourself.
These sound simple – and they’re definitely not unique as they stand. But maintaining these standards can be challenging and exhausting – as any of you that have been or are parents genuinely understand.
But just as these principles make all the difference in the results of our parenting – the same is true when applied in our businesses.
My relationship and trust with my customers, partners, employees, and community makes life easier and more successful. While our story may not make the evening news, it has been personally felt and shared with others, like our DOD client did.
In a world that leans into “spreadsheet and checklist” approaches to decisions, it’s been my experience that the everyday actions that follow these 3 Key Principles can lay a path to success and client satisfaction.
How are these three principles exercised as AI and other technological advances come into common business practices? How are they impacted? Next week we’ll shift our perspective from our traditional practices and take a look.
