Part 2 of 2

Forget society, doing good is good for business

In Part 1 we met my CEO friend whose organization was involved in CSR. Unfortunately, he was too busy to really care about it. All he had to do was do it right and also communicate it right. Did I help him spot the missed business opportunity?

“So, like you guys did in Jawhar, my employees go out there, solve the drought and my business booms, is that it?” he smirked.

Precisely! I ignored the sarcasm.

“Listen, the law wants me to spend 2% on CSR and I am doing it. Beyond that, what’s in it for me?”

That’s what’s in it for you

Having been his mentor, I knew some of the problems his company was facing.

Their product was technically superior. However, it was also pricier and struggling to survive in a market flooded with hundreds of cheaper, me-too competitors, who were more aggressive advertisers.

His company comprised several islands of excellence. The silos were deeply entrenched. Much as my friend tried to build them, the “we-are-one” bridges never survived for long.

At the same time, they were doing some good work on the CSR front. They had fabricated a library on wheels, the only source of books for schools in several villages. And their little water tankers on three wheels were the only source of drinking water in remote locations as the severe drought singed crops and lives.

Imagine, I told him, that you were some 20 years younger. You are social-media savvy, discerning and passionate. You are bold, intelligent, a fantastic team player and, yet, ever willing to trek down a new path.

He must have liked the picture I painted because he was smiling.

Now, would you like this younger version of you to be your customer? “Yes!”

Would you like to recruit him? “Of course!”

Perception as a differentiator

Suppose you had taken pains to make this young you aware of the good work you are doing in the villages around the factory. Is he likely to pay more for your product that is helping children read? Will he feel proud to belong to a company that is reaching drinking water to families living in barren lands? Even if he were not aware of your niche products, would he easily recollect your brand because the name was emblazoned on vehicles engaged in keeping the length and breadth of the town clean?

When you do good, sustainable work, you are fulfilling your responsibility to the society. And, in the process, when you ensure your brand gets greater visibility, you are fulfilling your responsibility to all those who have a stake in your business.

We talked for long. At the end of it, he wanted me to go over and address his senior team.

I hope your CSR Manager would be present, too? “Of course!”

I agreed to meet them after two weeks. I needed that time to put together some resumes to beef up his CSR department. That band deserved more width.