Referral. Chapter 6. A System That Works for You.

Highground and Susie left the oceanfront and walked up a few blocks from the dock toward Rancho Benicia’s downtown area.

As they walked, Highground said, “Well, Susie, you’re in the homestretch. Your insights and goals you just wrote prove that you are an amazingly quick study. Before we take this next step to learn the last principle, what specific insights do you have? Anything you want to talk about?” Susie hesitated, not quite sure she wanted to share her deepest fear with him. He’d now become a sort of mentor to her, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. But he had asked, so she told him.

“Mr. Highground, you obviously have helped a number of people through this process. And all you say seems logical. But I guess my biggest hurdle or anxiety is how quickly will I see results? I guess I’m a bit afraid of failure again.

I know it should work, but will it really work for me?” “I appreciate your candor, Susie. You have to be honest with me and with yourself. But believe me,it will work, as long as you trust the process. That is why the first three questions I asked you when we first met were so important.

Remember them?” She nodded. “Do I like myself, do I believe in my products, and can I stay the course?” “That’s right. You are comfortable enough with yourself, you definitely believe in your company’s products, and I believe after this next meeting it will all come together for you,how to ‘stay the course,’ to ‘trust the system.’ So,” he said, stopping for a moment, “are you ready to meet the dynamic Sara Simpson, president of Simpson Systems?” Susie looked behind her and saw a large, renovated warehouse with a sign hung over its big, artistic, metal doors announcing “Simpson Systems.” Susie’s eyebrows rose at the very expensive look of it all. But then she nodded.

Highground opened the doors for her. “Remember, Sara is business-business. She is very high-principled or she couldn’t run our system so successfully, but she is the daughter of one of the area’s first big-business owners and she wants to be known for being her father’s daughter, and then some. She proves, though, that this system works for all people once they realize the kind of person they are and are happy to embrace it. Okay, here we go.” They entered the elegantly appointed waiting area. A globe of the world smartly blended into the Simpson Systems logo hanging from the high ceiling. Highground didn’t slow, though. He walked straight to the elevator, guiding Susie along with him, stepped inside, and pressed the top floor’s button.

In a moment, the doors swooshed open to the executive floor. They approached the two secretaries, who seemed to know Highground by sight, and without a word were escorted into the private conference room of the corner office with the best view of the harbor at Rancho Benicia, overlooking the Baha Mier Cliffs.

This was the war room of Sara Simpson. Highground and Susie had not been there a minute when Sara strode into the room,her high heels clicking and her expensively tailored suit swaying like silk with her every move. She exuded the confidence of a Fortune 500 executive and grinned widely as soon as she laid eyes on Highground.

“David Michael Highground, where have you been?

You disappear then reappear at the strangest times. I was just asking Chuck about you. This must be Susan McCumber, the lady you have spoken so highly of. How do you do, Susan?” She stretched out her hand.

For a moment, Susie thought she just might use the more formal and sophisticated “Susan” with this very successful contemporary of hers. But then she remembered that she liked herself just fine. She took Sara’s hand and shook it solidly. “My pleasure. And please call me Susie.” Then Sara, all business and proud of it, was off and running. She marched them over to the end of the polished oval table, waved them a command to sit, and began to talk, her total focus on Susie.

“Susie, David has given me an extensive background on you. And what I would like to do for you in the next two and a half hours is give you an in-depth look at our Keep in Touch program,how it works for us, its results, and how it can work for you. Before I do, I would like to give you an idea of where I was before I instituted this program.” The agenda was set and Susie now understood exactly what a business-business person was like.

“Sounds like an excellent plan, Sara,” Susie said, with all her businesslike enthusiasm. She was suddenly very interested in how someone who obviously was so business driven actually develops relationships. And it looked as if she might just find out.

“I took over this business at twenty-three,” Sara was saying in her clipped speech, as she leaned back in her black leather chair, “when my father died. I was driven for a number of reasons,the loss I felt, the desire to succeed, the need to help out my mother,but mostly I just wanted to prove to the world that Sam Simpson’s daughter was able to make it on her own. I did the ‘thirty-six-hour’ days and gathered all my identity from the business. I became obsessed with it. I drove people in my employ to the brink. I looked at customers as widgets, something that was either a good business decision or not. If they didn’t match up with the numbers, they didn’t hear from me. My salespeople were the highest paid in the industry, but I drove them until they dropped. Oh, my volume continued to soar and I received all the industry accolades, which invigorated me more. Although my volume increased, the margins were tight because that’s the type of clients I ended up with,the shoppers. There was no loyalty.” She glanced at Highground. “I came to a great crossroads in my business five years ago. That’s when I met David Highground. I was referred to him by my father’s best friend, Paul Fuzak. He had come all the way from New York to visit my family and see me. My dad’s friend knew him from childhood and loved him like a brother.

What he really was doing out here was checking up on me because he was close to Dad and I reminded him so much of Dad. He really gave me some great insights into who my dad really was,from a business and personal point of view.” She paused, crossing her legs and running a hand along her skirt to straighten it. “You see, I found out why so many people helped me when I started. It was because of my dad’s good name.

“Although he was tough as any successful person in business, when it came to helping people through a crisis, especially others in business, he would drop everything he was doing and make himself available. Highground had helped Dad a long time ago when I was young and my dad’s friend thought I should meet him. And my life changed dramatically, as well as my business,which was my life, of course. So when he called and asked if I could spend a few hours with you, I couldn’t wait for the opportunity,the opportunity to pass it along.” “I really appreciate the insight into your background, Sara,” Susie said, meaning it. “Thanks for sharing it.” Sara sat up and leaned across the table. “Well, Susie, let’s get down to business. You now understand the lifetime value of a client base; putting the relationship first; the power of 250 by 250; how to build and ABC your database; how to educate your staff, your sphere of influence, your clients and friends; and how to brand all of your communication. In other words, how to live out the golden rule in business. So let’s talk about the part of the system that actually delivers on this promise of giving you a ‘hall pass’ to call everyone you meet, feeling free to talk about helping them while discussing old and new business opportunities. It’s Principle 4,” Sara went on. “That’s ‘Keep in touch, consistently, personally, and systemically.’” Susie scrambled to get her notebook open.

“Good,” Sara said, smiling at the notebook. “I remember that notebook. It’s your plan of action, your next steps, your lifeline in the beginning. Don’t forget that for a minute.

Keeping in touch means an ongoing communication that your client base and sphere of influence receive each Principle 4: Keep in touch, consistently, personally, and systematically.

month consistently, that projects your personal brand.

Talking in the language of your ABC-ed list, everyone on your list gets touched in some way, every month. Your As hear from you personally every month. Everyone receives tangible evidence that you do put the relationship first.” Sara laughed. “You could be convicted in a court of law for being relational because there is actually some tangible evidence that could be presented as proof,other than our best intentions.” She paused, suddenly thoughtful. “You know, this program is as powerful as any targeted marketing campaign on the street today because it is perpetual and builds a bank account with clients and associates that allows you to go without talking to them for six or seven months. Of course, your Bs and Cs are very impressed because when you do call, they feel like you are talking to them every other week,because you are consistently, personally communicating with them. It’s fantastic.” “This morning I heard about ‘Just Let Me Know,’” Susie volunteered.

“Wonderful. That is as genuine as it sounds, too. When you actually show consistency with this, you will never feel awkward about saying to anyone ‘Just let me know if I can help you in any way. And if you have any friends or associates who could use my services, please give me their names.

And I promise to treat them as well as I’ve treated you.’ Of course,” she added, “if they haven’t heard from you recently or done business with you lately, that might sound self-serving. Your promise will only get the result you want depending how you have treated them. But what you’ll find is when you send items along every month that are directed at building the relationship and you have gone out of your way to help them, then you don’t come across as self-serving. Your call is always taken. And best of all, people do give you their friends’ names. Why? Because they trust you. This program can even knock the edges off a tough businesswoman like me, and because of the professionalism shown in the program, I can demonstrate that I care. And I do, but in my own way.” “That’s quite a testimony,” Susie said.

“But you know what? In the end, it’s not only good for me, but the program was the best decision for the business timewise, too, because I don’t have to recreate the wheel every month for new clients. The old ones keep looking for ways to do business with us, and our As are a huge sales force for us because they are our biggest advocates. Having them tell the world,literally,about us is like having a free review written about your restaurant in the New York Times Arts and Leisure section as opposed to taking out a very expensive newspaper advertisement. Make sense?” “Sure does, but I have a few questions,” Susie said as she reviewed her notes from her earlier session with Philip.

“What kind of content should I be sending to those in my database?” she asked. “I mean, should I be sending them information about my products or industry? Should I be sending it out in print form or e-mail?” “Excellent questions, Susie,” said Sara. “They are the very ones I struggled with when I began the process. First, when someone asks me if it’s smarter to use e-mail or regular mail for a business’s communications, I like to respond by saying it’s not ‘either/or’,it’s ‘both/and.’ We have a CRM system in-house, better known as a customer relationship management system. However, we have added what I refer to as an ‘outbound’ CRM program in that we are proactive in sending electronic and print communications to those we desire to build relationships with. We refer to it as our Keep in Touch program.” “How do you know which to use when?” “My rule of thumb is if someone has given us permission to e-mail information to them regarding our business services and can use the information, we send it via e-mail,” answered Sara. “But we feel our printed mail tends to make a longer-lasting impression and cannot get deleted as easily as an e-mail. With all the e-mail virus problems, we pick and choose what we send via e-mail and how we send it.” “So you do a lot of printing, then?” Sara shook her head. “You might be surprised to know that much of our print communications has less to do with our actual business and everything to do with building a relationship. What print material we create is always very professional in style with useful, well-written content,all elegantly designed to make a proper impression. But here is the key. When my sales consultants begin new relationships with new contacts who are currently doing business with the competition or are not ready to do business with us yet, the last thing that works is to flood them with our product information, either in print or e-mail, especially after they have just said they want to think about it. What works is a communication program that simply keeps our names in front of the contact, builds a relationship by giving my people and our brand important ‘monthly face time.’ This communication program consists of a combination of personal newsletters, holiday cards, and letters containing items of value.” “Items of value?” Susie asked.

“Yes, letters containing unique, simple, useful advice.

Everything from free scholarship information for students to how to receive a fiftieth wedding anniversary congratulatory note from the White House. That way, when we follow up for an appointment, our calls are usually taken because they remember our name.

“Of course, if we have a new offering to announce, we include that prospect, but primarily we just want to ‘grease the skids’ for the next call. Or to use the term you’ve probably heard by now,to give our people the ‘hall pass’ to make the call easily. Business happens on a personal level after a professional impression has been made. We simply do this in a very systemic way.

“Many corporate suits get hung up on sending information only about their products and industry,” Sara went on.

“When was the last time you actually read your CPA’s newsletter? But you might even refer him if he asked and spent some time and energy relating to you personally. Like I said, business happens on a personal level,after a professional impression is made. You should not be made a slave to the system. It should work even when you don’t want to, once you’ve got it up and going. Is this making sense to you?” “Absolutely,” Susie said. “But it seems more doable for a big operation like yours. How do I do it myself? How does someone like me develop such a program and decide what to send every month?” Sara thought a moment. “That’s a great question. Let me share something with you. When you are a sales organization like ours, you regularly outgrow your infrastructure. That means we often get so busy trying to deliver on our promises that we don’t have time to send out everything we should. That’s what that old saying means,the one that says every time a business grows by 40 percent, the infrastructure is shot. But here’s the new twist for you.

It holds true for a company like ours with 300 employees and also yours with one employee.

“So, what’s the answer?” Sara said, cocking her head toward Susie. “I bet that’s what you’re thinking. Well, the answer is that the program needs to be laid out like any good marketing program,one year in advance. Other than special gifts and recognition for your As, you already know the holidays, events, that sort of thing. I recommend that you take the time to focus on getting a basic communication program in place, with the right outsource contractor to handle it, and that you don’t come up for air until you have it in place. Got it?” “Got it I think.” “I’ll explain.” Sara said. “We split it primarily into two areas: first, our print and e-mail campaign, which we refer to as our Keep in Touch campaign, and second, our Web of Appreciation.” “Web of Appreciation?” Susie looked puzzled.

“Web of Appreciation,” Sara repeated. “A very simple system that everyone in our company has access to. It is a series of good, better, and best gifts that we access instantly to show tangible evidence that we care. The program is online, our database is connected, and it takes less than sixty seconds to process. Everyone in our company has a budget of some amount to use to say thank you. We cast our Web of Appreciation as far as we can. The responses are phenomenal. In fact, in our offices we have a wall we refer to as our ‘wall of fame’ where we post all the responses we receive from our clients and vendors.” “Really! Small tokens of appreciation connect you that well?” “Let me give you an example,” Sara said. “The other day I referred my friend to my chiropractor. When the doctor was finished, he told my friend, ‘Thank Sara for the referral.’ When my friend told me of the chiropractor’s thanks, I was amused at the response. That’s the way I used to do it,the way we all did it.” “What was wrong with it?” Susie asked.

“Oh, it was nice to be thanked via my friend. I was happy to help. But for his business’s sake, he should have done more,and he could have so easily. What he should have had in place was a simple system whereby he walked past his assistant, told her to thank me for the referral, and sixty seconds later had something tangible such as a gift basket or bouquet of flowers on its way to me. All he needed was my contact information, which he already had, and access to the Internet,which makes it all so easy. And I would have been surprised, impressed, and appreciative of his response. Could he afford something so extravagant?

Think about it,” she said. “He will probably make more than $1,500 in fees this year from my friend, and he did not have to spend a dime to advertise to find her or convince her that he was the best chiropractor in town because I had already convinced my friend of that fact through the referral. Do you think that gift basket investment makes good business sense? Might even encourage a few more referrals?

Certainly does to a true business-business like myself.” Susie responded sheepishly, “I can’t say much. I’ve never done much more than that chiropractor when it comes to showing appreciation. Truth is, I didn’t think I had the time or the money to do anything more.” Sara nodded. “Remember, though, as I mentioned, when you can concentrate on setting up your system and have the whole program focused, it very quickly becomes absolutely awesome in its results. It works 24/7 and, like I said, it will work when you don’t want to. We process the program and develop certain pieces internally, but we always contract out the new materials and all the Web of Appreciation products. A number of services are available locally, and when they aren’t, we can find them on the Internet. As a matter of fact, we outsourced everything for the first three years.” Susie looked at Highground. “You mean, there are companies that will help me set up and deliver these services?” Highground nodded. “If you want. You can personalize them any way you need to for your own business.” With that, Sara hoisted up two beautifully designed posters with the Simpson Systems logo emblazoned on the front. On the first poster, in big, bold type directly under the company name was the phrase “Keep in Touch.” On the second, the bold-type phrase was “Web of Appreciation.” The Keep in Touch poster showed a contact suggestion for each of the twelve months of the year. And on the Web of Appreciation poster were the Simpson Systems pledge and its policies, describing how its employees tangibly showed their appreciation to everyone they came in contact with each day. Susie especially took note of the greeting card suggestions.

This is what the two posters looked like:

Simpson systems.

keep in touch.

January – New Year’s Greeting Card.

February – Item-of-Value Letter.

March – Personalized Newsletter.

April – Springtime Greeting Card.

May – Item-of-Value Letter.

June – Personalized Newsletter.

July – Fourth of July Card.

August – Item-of-Value Letter.

September – Personalized Newsletter.

October – Item-of-Value Letter.

November – Thanksgiving Card.

December – Personalized Newsletter.

Simpson systems.

web of appreciation.

We pledge to show tangible evidence of our appreciation for our clients, associates, vendors, and colleagues, regularly, without fail. We put the relationship first!

All frontline employees are given a budget of $2,000 to utilize as they see fit to say thank you to clients and for customer service relation-stressed situations that require immediate attention.

The company and its team members recognize all standard gift-giving days throughout the year but pledge to go above and beyond the call of duty to become creative and produce lasting impressions through extraordinary customer service and “outlandish” tasteful items of value.

Every referral given is recognized immediately, tangibly, and personally the day it is given.

Every referral that produces business for the company is recognized immediately with more tangible and personal items the day the referral is consummated.

Extraordinary service by vendors and associates is recognized immediately, tangibly, and personally with appropriate recognition.

All team members pledge to recognize each other immediately, regularly, and tangibly when character, integrity, and excellence have been demonstrated.

Sara handed Susie letter-size copies of the posters and Susie immediately placed them inside her notebook.

“Our salespeople have a presentation that talks about the lifetime value we place on each client and our program of communication,” Sara continued. “Then we follow up with these materials along with our Web of Appreciation, and the results are history. We’re number one in our field.

“I don’t care what type of business you are in,” she added. “It all boils down to relationships. Sure, you might rethink some of the items you send, but everything still is connected to your consistency, your follow-through. Remember what I said,business happens at a personal level after a professional impression has been made. With the right system, and motives in the proper order, great things happen.” Susie saw a cross section of all the different types of material sent to the company’s ABC database list, which included personalized newsletters featuring articles on personal fitness, success, home, technology, and family and a variety of elegant, personalized greeting cards. All were well planned, all beautifully produced. “But these seem so corporate in design,” she had to say.

Sara laughed. “What do you expect from a businessbusiness person like me? You decide, based on your personality, the look and feel of the products that are suitable for you and your type of business and clientele. You have to figure out who you are, be true to that, and plan your designs around that.” “So I can design my own?” Susie wondered.

“If you want to do the Keep in Touch program yourself, you certainly can, but frankly,forgive my directness,it would be foolish to do that. It’s much more efficient simply to select the right contractor for you, have your name branded on the products, e-mail or hand off your database, and let the contractor do it so you can concentrate on what you do best. Make sense?” “Yes, it actually does.” “And,” Sara added, “with the simple twelve-month program in place,and it changes every year,you can concentrate on new contacts, moving your Cs to Bs, your Bs to As. You can make all sorts of choices for them,special items of value and appreciation to send them for a referral or help in your business, something to commemorate their special events, and so on. The program should handle all of that. The results of something consistently showing up at your client’s door, and the thought that every new contact you have gets included in this concept, is so satisfying that everyone you now meet is in play for your business. When I look at our reports on business coming out of our database, it’s absolutely mind-blowing! The average increase in business per client because of the trust built into the relationship,and the minuscule cost of finding a new client because of the resulting referrals, as opposed to what we used to spend on marketing,is incredible.” She sat back in her chair and held up her hands in amazement.

“Sounds like you’re happy,” Susie said, smiling at her enthusiasm.

“Let me put it this way. We used to employ a spray and pray marketing strategy using every advertising and marketing method possible. Now we use a very focused approach to build and maintain relationships for excellent bottom-line results.” “Spoken like a true business-business!” Highground chimed in with a laugh.

“It sounds like a heavy expense,” Susie said, still trying to work out in her mind how she would get her program started.

Sara paused. “Susie, let me be direct. There are investments in business and there are expenses. Do you think if my chiropractor invested in a system like this he would generate a few more $1,500-a-year clients?” “Definitely,” Susie stated as she finally started to think beyond her old ways.

“You got it!” Highground exclaimed. “Now, let’s go introduce Susie to your sales staff and see how this works.

What do you say?” Sara got to her feet and so did Highground and Susie.

“As a matter of fact,” Sara said, already headed for the door, “we are just beginning a sales and customer service meeting for some new recruits. Our manager is explaining what ‘Just Let Me Know’ means and how we introduce the Keep in Touch program, so let’s go.” When they walked into the training room, everyone noticed them. Sara gave her team a little go-ahead wave as she seated Highground and Susie and sat down beside them.

The manager was just starting. He gave an overview of the company’s commitment to its lifetime clients. He ran a video of a successful national airline commercial that showed a company president telling his sales force that they had just lost their largest and oldest account because they quit using the personal touch that had gotten them the clients in the first place. Then it showed him giving out airline tickets to the salespeople with the command that they were going to “retouch” all they had served in person.

And when one of the people asked the company president where he was going, he simply said he was going to see an old friend, referring to the account they had lost.

As the commercial ended, the manager stated that this is the situation their competition is in, losing their clients because of the lack of personal touch. Then he said that this is a situation that Simpson Systems would never be in because of programs called “Keep in Touch” and “Web of Appreciation.” “We have a statement that is almost our slogan,” the manager explained. It’s ‘Just Let Me Know.’ And that means if we can help our client in any way,any way at all,we are available at all times. The late founder of this company, Sam Simpson, was always available, and Sara Simpson, our current president, is determined to carry on that tradition, not only in words but in action. The next part of that directive is easy, asking clients to refer their friends and associates with the promise that we will treat them as well as they were treated.” He paused and leaned over the podium. “Of course, if you don’t treat them that well, the statement will backfire.” They all shared a laugh.

He went on to reiterate the Keep in Touch program and the Web of Appreciation, show the wall of fame, and explain the employees’ budgets allocated solely to say thank you. Everything Susie heard was exactly what Sara had just taught her. By the time they left, Susie had put the finishing touches on the notes she’d been taking all day long.

As they left the meeting, Susie felt a new sense of confidence. She looked directly into Sara’s eyes and thanked her for her time.

“Susie,” Sara said, shaking her hand, “in the event things change and you consider the computer field, give me a call.

Otherwise, if I can help you in any way, just let me know!” And with a broad smile, she turned on her high heels and went back to work.

As Susie and Highground left the building, Susie had no doubt Sara Simpson meant every word.

“Wow,” she said.

Highground smiled. “As I said at the beginning, Sara Simpson proves that the system works for anyone who has the heart for it, no matter what their personal style might be.” “That’s the truth.” “Well, it’s late,” Highground said, checking his watch.

“But I’m learning so much!” Susie said, a little unwilling to let her new mentor go so quickly.

“Data dump,” Highground agreed. “In fact, you may have learned too much for one day, not to mention two.” “Oh, I don’t think so,” Susie said with a laugh. “I am revved.” That made Highground laugh out loud. “I can see that!

And I love it. But I want you to let everything simmer, to think about this last principle and how it affects all the rest.

Go home and fill in your last goal sheet. And then I want you to review everything in your notebook, making notes to yourself on every point, filling up every blank place with simple, achievable goals and with ideas and questions.

Then I’ll meet you tomorrow morning at 8:00 A.M. sharp and we will look everything over.” “And then what?” “And then you begin a whole new chapter in your life,” Highground said with a twinkle in his eye. He waved and hurried away, in his disappearing way.

Susie stood there a moment, watching where he had vanished, and she could see the waterfront ahead. And beyond that, she could see the water and the horizon. The sun was going down, dusk was falling, but for some reason she felt like something was dawning in her life, something new. And it felt good.

She rushed home, made dinner, and sat down at her table to fill out the last goal sheet:

Goal 4.

Goal: Have in place the next twelve months of my Keep in Touch and Web of Appreciation programs.

Goal Date: twelve weeks from today.

The date is September 15 and I have: laid out the next twelve months of my Keep in Touch program. I have selected the twelve communications that best match my style to be delivered each month. The prewritten communications are in place and the items of value are already ordered. I have a small example of each communication in my portfolio to show those interested in my products and services how I work. I am prepared to demonstrate how I will build the relationship and ask for referrals.

I have already experienced: so much positive response and business through my system that it’s hard to believe the hopelessness I felt only months before because I did not have a plan of action that suited me.

I feel: proud of the hard work I have done and the discipline I have shown to execute this program so well. I feel a sense of accomplishment because of its completion as well as the business I have experienced.

I am excited about: the prospect of hiring an assistant to help with administering the system while I spend my time helping other people with my products.

My associates and colleagues are: blown away by the completeness of the Keep in Touch and Web of Appreciation system I have in place and the success it is producing. I, on the other hand, am happy that I can be genuinely me and not have to try to be something I am not.

I am determined to: continue with this program and deliver it consistently so I may concentrate on the things I like to do,serve my clients and help them reach their goals in life, too.

Susie sat back, laid her pen down, and looked at her last goal. Then she flipped back to the beginning of her notebook to scan the other three goals along with the principles, and her eyes landed on her first hastily jotted attempt at her 250 by 250 list. Principle 1, she thought: The 250 by 250 Rule. It’s not only who you know that counts, it’s who your clients know that is important. There were over 160 names on it. She looked them over one by one, getting more excited with each name.

And she began to automatically ABC them all, jotting down the appropriate letter by each name, checking the ones she’d tried the first day for practice to see if she still agreed with her rankings.

Principle 2, she thought with a smile: Build a database and ABC it. Now she could see how the list worked. In fact, she was actually looking forward to having this great reason to reconnect with some of these old, familiar names,after she had sent out her confession letter.

Principle 3: Just Let Me Know. Educate your clients about how you work and your value to them through regular, tangible actions performed without fail, she quoted proudly to herself. And Principle 4: Keep in touch, consistently, personally, and systematically.

Interesting, she thought, shaking her head. She realized that she remembered all four principles of the system easily.

The best part, though, was that she could see how the whole plan worked, all right here before her. It was truly simple, with amazingly deep, ongoing results,this wonderful system that puts the relationship first because its foundation is based on the simplest of all ideas: the golden rule.

She closed the notebook and rested her hand on it. “Oh my,” she mumbled, grinning to herself. “I’m going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.” And she was exactly right.