It's all about relationships

It really all comes down to relationships.  Everything.  I am fond of saying that everything is marketing (hence the name of this blog) and since marketing is really about developing relationships, everything really is about relationships.  If you have a solid relationship with your customers, they will

• more readily believe what you say
• trust your products or services
• more easily forgive customer service gaffes or the occassional faulty product
• provide you with the holy grail of marketing - positive word-of-mouth messages

If you don't have a solid relationship with your customers, or if you damage that relationship, you will

• have to spend a lot more in time and resources to get your message accross
• will be at a competitive disadvantage, even compared to unknown products and brands
• find out just how ineffective marketing can be in the absence of a connection to the customer
• risk experiencing the definition of marketing hell -- negative word-of-mouth messages

There are few investments that have a better long-term ROI than investments in genuine, positive relationships with customers.