I, after years, am leaving the New York Times. I have been a huge advocate of the paper in the past, but due to their absurdly laughable and unfortunate level of customer service, I will no longer be a customer or advocate.

 

“We’re sorry for your inconvenience.”

I understand your reflexive response.

We all respond in the same way upon ‘getting caught.’

Some philosophers may agree.

But, in business and relating with people, it’s important to be who you say and act on sounded intentions.

The New York Times, my friends, though nurturing a relationship with me for YEARS,

spanning back to my younger days, sometimes, has no time to deliver my paper as promised.

Tuesday went by with no paper…

And Wednesday too.

Thursday, NY Times doesn’t care about you.

(Maybe?) Friday, we’ll be back in love.

It’s cool, lovers.  All you need to do, to bewitch me again, to do that thing you do, is to say:

“Oh, we’re sorry, Mr. (awkward moment on phone when customer service provider slaughters last name) Pensabene (‘Pensa bene’ means, ‘think well.’ But of course, it does (haughty laugh); I read your paper!)

What if I told you, there are ways to build a brand, to continue building, even when you’ve become so studly, you don’t (really) have to try hard any longer?

That’s cool.

Perhaps you need a refresher of what it was like to be a smaller brand.

You see, if Anthony doesn’t provide what’s promised to his clients after one, two, three days…, he doesn’t get paid.

Furthermore, it makes him look bad.

It makes his brand look bad.

He may lose the client.

That client may tell others about my inefficiencies.

I can’t afford to take mulligans.

NY Times, remember?

It comes down to this:

Show > Tell

Talk is cheap.

Action speaks louder; because, it’s harder to actually do, requiring effort.

Do real things.  That’s how you make an impact.

Of course, I’m picking on you, NY Times; because, we’re old mates.

You’re not the only big business in town looking bad.

This is just a friendly reminder that talk is cheap.

For example, it’s very easy to call one self a friend, all you need to do is say it out loud, write it, etc.

But, language is just letters/symbols thrown together to symbolize a concept, is it not?

I say Moztato, you say…

Let’s use a personal example.  There are some people in the industry, in life, deeming themselves ‘concerned’ friends of mine.

I’m not really sure how to define such, but I tell you what – this person makes an impression.

Thanks, Bill Rowland.  That’s thoughtful of you.  I recently took a young Musetress out on a sushi date in Philly,

and Bill, my friend in name and deed, was curious.

Though it may have physically taken him under a minute to think of me, type, and hit send, it makes a big impact.

I know the New York Times has no time to stray from their daily pursuits of making money, to ask how my date went, but if they took a minute out of their money-making machine to stop and look around, they may learn something from how Bill Rowland exercised his minute.

Real people/brands do real things.