It’s a common and prevalent misconception in any sales oriented business that, because someone has sold or even just spoken to a person in the past, the customer belongs to that sales representative, forever.  “That’s my customer”, “How did you end up with my people?” “Didn’t they ask for me?  They should have, they’re my customers.”  Where and when did the mentality that customers are “forever mine” begin?  The following is a result of my vast research to answer this question and to dispel the “My Customer” mystery once and for all.

It was initially thought that Henry Ford started this arrogant mindset in the early 1900’s when he said, ”My customers can have any color car they want; as long as it’s black.”  General Motors subsequently released vehicles in a vast array of colors (mostly different shades of gray).  Ford placed a phone call to then GM President William C. “Billy” Durant.  Obviously irked by his competitors gimmick Ford shouted, “You’re stealing my customers with your publicity stunt!”  Durant calmly and unapologetically retorted, “Henry, how was I to know they were your customers.  After all, they were in my showrooms.”  The rest, as they say, is history.  While overconfident and pompous, this was not the first instance of the “My Customer” attitude.  No, I would have to dig much deeper to unearth the source of this conundrum.

In April 1860 William Russell originated the Pony Express.  The main delivery routes were between Missouri and California.  Brave young riders endured the elements, natural predators, robbers and the like.  The Santa Luna trail quickly became known as the safest and easiest trail to ride.  In February of 1861 a new rider, Charles “Dusty” Warren announced he would be riding the Santa Luna route.  Fern Duggan, who was with the Pony Express since its inception, objected, “That’s my route and them’s my customers.”  To which “Dusty” declared, “If’n them’s your customers, why’s my bullet in your head?”  As soon as Warren returned from his deliveries he was arrested, though quickly acquitted.  Judge Thomas “Choo-Choo” Hornbeck declared, “That’s justifiable homicide if’n I ever see’d it.  Duggan didn’t do nothin’ to make them his customers.”  When brave young riders quickly became scarce William Russell, the Pony Express founder quipped, “My customers will have to be patient”.  They were not; and Samuel Morse was there with his telegraph to take care of Russell’s customers.  Russell fired off an angry letter demanding compensation from Morse for taking his customers.  Sadly, the letter never made it to Morse as the rider who was delivering the letter developed malaria and died en route.  November 1861 the Pony Express shut down with the exception of one industrious rider, Joseph “Domino” Jenkins who used his experience to begin a food delivery service.  As you have probably guessed, the “My Customer” mystery predates even this story.  Truth be told, history is chock full of episodes of the my-customer-assumption.

Remember when Boston Harbor was filled with Earl Grey and Lipton just to reinforce the point that the Queen of England could not assume we were her customers.  Colonist and revolutionary John David Reynolds boldly penned, “Your Majesty, if we are your customers, why are we at Ye Olde Starbucks?”  It is a little known fact that Christopher Columbus left Spain in search of the mythical customer service of the New World.  Columbus was disgusted after buying three ships from Stephan’s Used Ship Emporium and the sales person didn’t follow up with him.  “We had to figure out the sails all on our own.”  Said a disenchanted Columbus.  Adding, “I still don’t know how to change the clock and I probably would have gone for the satellite radio option if I had known about it.  Do you know how hard it is to find something to listen to in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?  So the crew tries to help out by singing an endless rendition of “Row, row, row your boat”.  Talk about a mind numbing siege!”

Even literature throughout the annals of time makes references to the arrogant assumers who believe a customer is theirs for life, regardless of follow up.  Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is all about a salesman, Antonio and how he thinks he is the world’s gift to selling.  Antonio comes unglued when his customer Bassanio comes into the shop and buys his sundries from Shylock.  “If he art thine customer; why dost he purchase my goods?”  Shylock asks in the climactic second scene of the third act.

Scholars are now convinced that when correctly translated both the Rosetta Stone and the Dead Sea scrolls make mention of man’s failure to follow up and their careless belief that people would always come back to them.  One source revealed, on a condition of anonymity, that he was “very close to proving” that the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah was a result of “haughty, conceited peddlers whose customer base disappeared on them”.  It’s safe to say this carelessness has plagued humanity from the beginning.  Consider Eve.  Had Adam stayed in contact and followed up maybe she would have stayed satisfied with the fruit of all the other trees in Eden, but no, Adam got complacent and here we are.

OK, I’ve probably got some of my facts mixed up and maybe misquoted a person or two.  I hope that you have not missed my point through these hazy recollections:  You are arrogant and lazy to assume that just because you sold a person one item, they are your customers.  The truth is, they stopped being your customers the minute they left your business.  You want to keep them?  Follow up with them.  Then, when they return to your establishment, it will not be by accident and they will ask for you and there is no question as to whose customer they are.  Otherwise, if they are your customers, why are they at my desk?

From: "The Paint Won't Lick Itself" by Brad Alexander