I called an insurance broker to get a business insurance quote. The owner answered the phone. He was clearly passionate about his industry. He knew his stuff. And for about thirty seconds I thought this was going to be a great conversation.Then it went off the rails.
He interrupted me repeatedly. He spoke negatively about my current broker instead of listening to what I needed. He used lawsuits and scare tactics to make his point. His voice got louder. He became visibly agitated when I told him I had never received a copy of my current policy.
At one point I said to him, it seems like my current broker is triggering for you. He agreed.
Before I hung up, he told me not to call anyone else because only he could help me.🚩 No thanks. I will not be calling back.
What made this even more striking is that this was the owner of the business. The person who sets the tone. The person whose behavior becomes the standard everyone else follows whether he realizes it or not.
Here is what struck me. This person clearly loved what he did. Passion is not the problem. The problem is that passion without self-awareness becomes a liability the moment it meets a customer.
And this is where HR comes in, in ways most small business owners never consider.
When we think about HR, we think about hiring, compliance, and employee handbooks. But the truth is that the skills HR builds inside an organization, things like emotional intelligence, active listening, conflict resolution, and professional communication, do not stay inside the building. They show up in every customer call, every sales conversation, and every client interaction your team has.
The way your employees treat people is your brand. And it starts at the top. If no one has ever coached the people on your team, or the person leading it, on how to handle a difficult conversation, manage emotions under pressure, or listen before they speak, your customers are experiencing exactly what I experienced this morning.
You can have the best product or service on the market. But if the person answering your phone cannot control themselves, you are losing business you never knew you had.
A strong HR partner does not just protect you from compliance risks. They help you build a team that represents your business the way you would want it represented. Every. Single. Time.
Have you ever lost a customer because of how someone on your team handled a conversation? I would love to hear your thoughts.