Seth G. has pointed out the wall that defines the old way of customer interaction. A recent experience I had in customer service perfectly illustrated this point. When it comes to selling a product, competitive advantage usually is found in price, quality, or product differentiation. I’ve always been a fan of supporting local businesses, especially if the product or service is generic. In fact, I would even pay a higher price point and accept marginally lesser goods or services to that end. The only requirement is excellent customer service. Being local is a competitive advantage unavailable to your typical large corporate business and one that should be leveraged. In one short month, I went from cheerleader to opponent. How do you do that? Easy, patronize your customer, don’t deliver or follow through on your word, and blame your service failure on others.