Paul Gassett
Service Excellence Training, Vice President of Strategic Marketing
Contributing Writer

Having read a great deal of books on businesses and what it means to operate a successful one, we’ve come to the conclusion that everyone has a great deal to say on the subject. Enough to fill aircraft carriers, in fact. So where does one start?

That’s why when we work with a contractor to help improve his business, we try to summarize the best of what we’ve learned and what we’ve seen work in successful companies. And we have found that the best place to start is with the knowledge that every act, every day, requires accountability.

To explain, let’s take a step back.

We live in a different world today, many people say. But if you’ve ever taken a course in psychology, you know that based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we all as humans crave the same basic things that never change:

(Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" and his subsequent book, Motivation and Personality)

Here are his basic human needs:

1. Physiological Needs

These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival, such as the need for water, air, food and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become secondary until these physiological needs are met. Business example: providing a paycheck equates to this most basic of human needs.

1. Security Needs
   These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhoods and shelter from the environment. Business example: letting your employees know that they can have a steady job if they perform is a way to help meet this need.

1. Social Needs
   These include needs for belonging, love and affection. Maslow considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs. Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments and families help fulfill this need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community or religious groups. Business example: this represents a reminder to business owners that employees have more to their lives than just work.

1. Esteem Needs
   After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs become increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment. Business example: here is where internal recognition of a high-achieving employee can really pay dividends!

1. Self-actualizing Needs
   This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested in fulfilling their potential. Business example: these are employees who need to be not only rewarded with money, but rewarded with responsibility and perhaps even profit and loss accountability.

Now, what does Maslow’s list of human needs have to do with running a business? Well, unless you run a factory that has a workforce of nothing but robots, the answer is, “everything.”

Let’s face it: we all rely on people for our success, and even our failure. It is people that make up our company and people that our customers buy into. Homeowners don’t buy a furnace or water heater, they buy the benefit those items deliver, such as warmth or hot water (the basic physiological and security needs). And on a deeper level, they buy the expertise with which the technician presents the products (the social needs).

Examples of these range from a CSR relating to the busy schedule of a mom who works during the day and needs a tight appointment to the selling technician who assures the elderly homeowner that her new furnace will lower her electric bills while keeping her warm and cozy all winter.

Employees who can relate to the needs of the homeowner by keeping these basic human needs in mind are taking the first step to holding themselves accountable. But can the business owner count on their team to simply know how to relate to the needs of customers?

No. Understanding the basics of human behavior is a learned skill. And it begins with training those who are on the front lines to recognize these needs of the customer. Once your team members understand how to recognize and meet the needs of your customers, they will in turn, be prepared to meet their own needs and, in turn, the needs of your business.

Be sure to check back for our next installment in the Accountability Series:

Who, Me? Accountability for Contractors Part 2: Which Came First… Responsibility or Accountability?

About Service Excellence Training

Service Excellence Training (SET), www.serviceexcellencetraining.com, was founded with the purpose of guiding the independent contractor through the uncertainty of larger competitive environments and helping them to operate their businesses with greater control and predictability. Founded in 2010, SET has more than tripled its number of contractor clients and is offering a greater number of courses in 2012.