Would You Do That to Your Mother? ― The "Make Mom Proud" Standard for How to Treat Your Customers

One guiding question to earn your customers' love and admiration--and grow your business. This simple litmus test helps pinpoint the causes of customer unrest so your company can shift toward anticipating needs, extending empathy and care, and showing respect at all times.

Jeanne Bliss's previous book, I Love You More Than My Dog, won fans for its warm, witty style and immediately applicable content. Now she's back with one deceptively simple question: "Would you do that to your mother?"

Customers crave the same gentle treatment, simple directions, and honorable behavior that our mothers demanded of us. This book asks companies to pause, review, and consider actions through the "mom lens." Whether you're contemplating your company's returns policy, its social media presence, its big-picture strategy, or the frontline serving customers, this one question offers a powerful tool to calibrate your response.

Bliss tracks down companies converting "frustrated mom moments" into "make mom proud" moments. For instance...


• Virgin hotels got rid of the nickel and diming. Instead of gouging at the mini-bar, that Snickers bar is the same price you'd pay at the corner market. They were just named #1 hotel in the U.S.

• REI urged families to enjoy the outdoors and their families on black Friday by closing their doors, elevating those values over making a buck. Ironically, this act grew their business.

• The Columbus Metropolitan Library kiboshed late fees, opting instead to focus on enabling reading and trust. First to initiate this practice, theirs has started a good-behavior chain reaction.
This radically simply approach can guide both the start-up and the big corporation, creating two-way trust and respect. Her playbook takes the mystery and frustration out of making mom proud--and growing your business.

Jeanne Bliss pioneered the role of the Chief Customer Officer, holding the first ever CCO role for over 20 years at Lands' End, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker and Allstate Corporations. She has driven achievement of 95 percent loyalty rates, improving customer experiences across 50,000-person organizations. She is now the President of CustomerBliss, where her clients include AAA, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Johnson & Johnson, The US Postal System, and Brooks Brothers. This is Jeanne's fourth book.