It is hard for me to imagine managing a brand with any other intent than winning customers the way we win friends. Would you invite me to your home and make me wait at the front door until you got around to answering it? Would you not take my coat or leave me sitting in the living room by myself for half an hour? Would you serve me a warm martini with a hair in it? Would you leave me sitting at the dining room table by myself while you got on the phone to talk to your cousin in Oshkosh? If this sounds like a gruesome picture, compare it to the way some brands appear to operate.

I find myself avoiding department stores because I often feel abandoned in what feels like the retail version of a wilderness. I give bad reviews about a restaurant that serves up good food with bad manners. Like most frequent flyers I dread the announcement “Overbooked,” and I will avoid the bank teller who chews and snaps gum in my face. You get the picture.

It is a tragic tale when you run across a brand that seems always in a bad or uncaring mood. Win customers the same way you win friends—by nurturing relationships.

Has a brand gone above and beyond to make you feel good? Or make you feel bad? Please share your experiences here or on Twitter and include #howdoesitmakeyoufeel #HDIMYF.

Does your brand need guidance in nurturing your customers? Contact Brandtrust® today.

Daryl’s new book, How Does It Make You Feel? Why Emotion Wins The Battle of Brands, is now available for purchase digitally on Amazon. Buy your copy today! Follow HDIMYF updates on Twitter @BTCEO and @Brandtrust®!