Good customer relationships start with the way the bank treats its employees.

• Position: Marketing News

A number of businesses espouse the idea that the customer is always right or that the customer comes first. "Those who believe this to the detriment of their people will lose in the long run," notes Lisa M Aldisert in a new book entitled, "Valuing People: How Human Capital Can Be Your Strongest Asset" (Dearborn, Chicago). Aldisert is a former columnist for ABA Bank Marketing magazine.

Businesses should start by treating their own employees well, Aldisert says. The employees, in turn, will treat customers the way they themselves are treated. Companies demonstrate how they expect the customer to be treated by the way they treat their employees.

Aldisert observes that the old adage that people do business with those they like and trust has taken on added meaning in the information age. The way that employees interact with customers is vital. "Cultivation of these relationships is often the distinguishing feature that converts a prospect...