After my recent column, “19 Signs Customers Are Just Not That Into You,” which sounded an awful lot like the romantic comedy, He’s Just Not That Into You, I was inspired to write this piece by the title of another rom-com, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

When we engage with customers (or when they engage with us), we are (hopefully) engaging for the long term and developing a relationship. Some folks question the use of the term “relationship,” but let’s just use Merriam-Webster’s definition: “The way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other; the way in which two or more people or things are connected.”

That connection is what I’m referring to. We want to connect with our customers, not just transact with them. Relationships take time and work, every day; the focus and the desire to keep the relationship alive and strong should never stop because when it does, the relationship will end. The connection is gone.

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