Loyalty in the Year of the Dog

Chinese Year of the Dog

Last year my colleague wrote on how the Year of the Fire Rooster promised to be a year of practical solutions, hard work and possibly a year for women.

Looking back on 2017, it was certainly an interesting year for women. We saw numerous allegations of sexual harassments leading to the formation of the #MeToo movement, over a million protesters marching on Washington in support of basic women’s rights, and the huge social change in Saudi Arabia, allowing women the right to drive for first time. Yet, it looks likely that 2018 will be another year of change for women.

What is the Year of the Dog?

The Chinese calendar is based on the movements of the moon so the new year marks the beginning of the new lunar cycle.The calendar consists of 12 zodiac cycles represented by an animal (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig) and one of the 5 elements (Wood, Earth, Fire, Water and Metal).

On February 16th 2018 we wave good bye to the Year of the Fire Rooster and say hello to the Year of the Earth Dog.

Trump Dog

Interestingly, the celebrations started early in northern China, where a giant dog statue, that look curiously like President Trump, was erected outside a shopping mall. Ironically, the US president who was born in the Year of the Dog in 1946, is known to have a dislike of dogs!

Traits of the Dog

The Dog has numerous positive personality traits plus a few negative! It is said to be faithful, intelligent, warm and full of energy. Known as “man’s best friend” dogs are extremely loyal and you can count on them to stick by you. Dogs also have a strong sense of justice and will stand up against discrimination.

Within the workplace, the Dog is reputed to be a good communicator, serious and responsible. With them, however, comes the risk of time-related pressures, stress and exhaustion.

Downward Dog?

Dogs are known to be adaptive to their surroundings and open to change. They’re seen as born theorist, applying this to practise within the workplace and not afraid to seek help when needed.

However, people born under the sign of the Dog are stubborn, easily angered and easily annoyed – this does sound famliar!

Business Opportunities in the Year of the Dog

The Year of the Dog suggests a year to invest in loyalty and develop strong customer relationships. Now’s the time to make sure you are really getting the most from your CRM. It’s not enough to install a CRM and trust that this will solve everything. You need to develop a strategy around your CRM that ensures a successful outcome.

Any marketer will tell you it costs 25 times more to attract new customers than it does to retain existing ones. But as this Havard Business Review article discusses you should also examine how to attract the right customers in the first place. If you make sure you’re attracting customers that fit well with your product you’ll have a better chance of gaining their loyalty.

So in 2018, investing in your most loyal clients is likely to bring the biggest rewards, but be sure not to bite off more than you can chew!