It is pretty remarkable how often we find ourselves in situations where we, as the consumers of a product or service, can clearly tell that the other party doesn’t give a damn.

The person behind the car rental counter, the call center agent at our mobile phone company, the kid at the checkout register of our local cinema, the dude who replied to our customer service email. They all don’t seem to give a damn.

You can sense it, feel it and see it. You feel shitty about the service, the product and the company. If you have alternatives, you go out of your way to not interact with these people, their products and their companies ever again.

I’m here to tell you once and for all that giving a damn is seriously underrated and caring is a competitive advantage.

Companies and their people that care get our business. And it‘s more than that. They get our admiration, our recommendation and sometimes our love.

There is a reason why Zappos is quite literally “loved”. And it’s not (only) because of the shoes they sell. There is a reason why I go out of my way to tell people to get their coffee from Verve in Santa Cruz. And it’s not just because their coffee tastes good. There is a reason why I tell all my friends to sign up for the handful of web services I use. And it’s not just because they rock.

It’s because they give a damn about me. And more so – they care.

Caring is a massive competitive advantage.

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