????最近，我收到一位財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)讀者的電子郵件，提出了一個(gè)非常好的問(wèn)題。

????她在信中寫道：

????“客戶對(duì)待我們的方式讓我深感沮喪……他們總是擺出一副‘上帝’的樣子，希望我們像仆人般順從。他們趾高氣揚(yáng)，粗魯無(wú)禮，常說(shuō)‘我付錢，你就得照我說(shuō)的做。’這種話。要改變這種客戶關(guān)系，我應(yīng)該怎么做？”

????在那些把合作伙伴當(dāng)作“供應(yīng)商”，沿用老掉牙的商業(yè)模式的地區(qū)，以上情況屢見(jiàn)不鮮。在這種商業(yè)模式下，客戶就是上帝，服務(wù)供應(yīng)商被當(dāng)作順從的仆人，甚至是奴隸。年輕時(shí)，我曾經(jīng)在一家廣告公司擔(dān)任業(yè)務(wù)經(jīng)理，那時(shí)就常常遇到這種情形。

????我記得，曾經(jīng)有一個(gè)客戶是一家跨國(guó)企業(yè)，這家公司對(duì)合作伙伴總是抱著“呼之即來(lái)?yè)]之即去”的態(tài)度，常提各種過(guò)分要求，而且給的任務(wù)時(shí)間還特別短，總是希望我們能夠創(chuàng)造奇跡。而我們通常都盡力達(dá)到了他們的要求，卻從未聽(tīng)到過(guò)一聲“謝謝”；一旦有半點(diǎn)差池或無(wú)法趕上客戶要求的進(jìn)度，我們還要挨罵。事實(shí)上，在我第一天接觸這家客戶時(shí)，我就在他們的辦公室領(lǐng)教到了這一點(diǎn)。當(dāng)時(shí)我被門衛(wèi)帶到辦公室門外，他叫我坐在一張凳子上，告訴我“在這里等一下，等領(lǐng)導(dǎo)需要時(shí)再見(jiàn)你。”顯然，以前的代理商都被這家客戶訓(xùn)練得沒(méi)了脾氣，次次都派人耐心地坐在凳子上等候“上帝”對(duì)他們的召喚。

????我當(dāng)然拒絕接受這種模式，由此開(kāi)始了一段長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的努力，直至被客戶當(dāng)做是真正的合作伙伴，而不僅僅是供應(yīng)商。現(xiàn)在回想起來(lái)，那是一段很好的學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷，讓我學(xué)到了許多東西，可以在后來(lái)30年的客服顧問(wèn)生涯中多次用到。在我看來(lái)，要把“上帝”變成合作伙伴有五大要點(diǎn)，任何人都能做到。分享如下：

????1. 如果你卑躬屈膝，別人就會(huì)不把你當(dāng)回事。如果你將客戶奉若神明，在他們面前點(diǎn)頭哈腰，他們一不高興你就戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)兢兢，那么客戶自然會(huì)瞧不起你。為什么？因?yàn)槟愕男袨閭鬟_(dá)出這樣一個(gè)信息：“我什么都不是，只是一個(gè)卑微的服務(wù)供應(yīng)商，而您是有錢的上帝。”或許你曾經(jīng)見(jiàn)過(guò)其他人在他們的上帝面前如此卑躬屈膝，又或許有人告訴過(guò)你：“這就是我們的命，只有這樣才能活下去。”如果真是這樣的話，你聽(tīng)到的都是些糟糕透頂?shù)慕ㄗh。

????事實(shí)上，這一切都取決于你自己，你的言行舉止應(yīng)當(dāng)值得別人尊重。如果做不到這一點(diǎn)，就得不到尊重。你怎么對(duì)待自己，別人就會(huì)怎么對(duì)待你。所以不要再教別人如何去不尊重你，從現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始，改變你看待自己的方式：要知道，每個(gè)人的自我價(jià)值都是一樣的，沒(méi)有人更高貴，沒(méi)有人更低賤。人的自身價(jià)值并不來(lái)自于頭銜、工資或經(jīng)驗(yàn)。它是一種天賦，在你出生那一刻就擁有的、無(wú)法消減的天賦。相信自己擁有獨(dú)特的天賦，能夠去影響別人，然后昂首挺胸做人。

????“你本身……要比你所說(shuō)的話更有分量。”

????——拉爾夫?沃爾多?愛(ài)默生

????Recently I received an email from a Fortune China reader with an excellent question.

????Essentially she told me:

????“I feel deeply frustrated about the way our customers treat us…they always act as “Lords” and expect us to just be obedient servants. They act so high and mighty, are often rude, and say things like ‘we pay the money so you just have to do as we say.’ What can I do to change such relationships?”

????This is a very common situation in a region where partners are more often referred to as “vendors” and is based on a very old model of business: the model where customer is Lord and service providers are seen as obedient servants, sometimes as slaves. As a young man I worked as an account executive in an advertising agency and experienced this model regularly.

????I recall one client, a global company that were in the habit of snapping their fingers and making outrageous demands, on short notice and expect us to work miracles. We often did just that, never got so much as a thank you, but could expect verbal abuse if we made the slightest mistake or did not move as fast as they wanted us to. In fact, on my first day serving this client, when I arrived at their office, I was led outside by a janitor and told to sit on a bench and “wait here in case they need something.” It was clear that the previous agency had been trained to have someone sitting patiently on that bench at all times, waiting for the “Lords” to snap their fingers.

????Of course I refused to accept this model and it was the beginning of a long process leading to being accepted as a partner, rather than a vendor. And, looking back, it was a great learning experience with lessons that I was able to apply many times during my 30 years as a consultant serving customers. Here I’m happy to share what I feel are the five most important things anyone can do to transform “Lords” into partners.

????If You Act Like a Slave, Expect to be Treated Like One.If you put your customers on a high pedestal, go in bowing and scraping before them, living in fear of their every displeasure, you can expect to be treated like dirt. Why? Because your behavior conveys the message “I am nothing, just a lowly service provider, and you are the Lord with the money.” Perhaps you have seen others acting life peasants under their Lords, or even been told that “this is our fate, the only way we can survive.” If so, you have been given very bad advice.

????The truth is, it is up to you to behave like someone worthy of respect and if you don’t, you won’t get much. People will pretty much treat you as you treat yourself. So, stop teaching people to disrespect you and start transforming the way you see yourself: get very clear that every person has exactly the same amount of self-worth, not more and not less. Your worth does not come from your title, your salary, or your experience. It is a gift you received at birth and it can never be diminished. Know that you have unique gifts that can make a difference for other people and hold your head up high.

????“Who you are speaks so loudly…I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

????Ralph Waldo Emerson