The Importance of Transparency in Your Business

Last weekend I witnessed a peaceful protest by fans of Cardiff City FC after their late victory against Doncaster Rovers. They were protesting against chairman Peter Ridsdale, who they believe took money from them under false pretences and has been hiding the true financial situation of the club for too long.

As a season ticket holder myself, I don’t want to get into the heavy politics which surround the football club but what I want to demonstrate in this post is the importance of being as open and transparent as possible with your customers.

If you are not and attempt sneaky, underhand tactics with your customers in your own online business such as:

• Not allowing them to opt out of your mailing list
• Not giving them a fair refund when they ask for one
• Trying to force them into a continuity program without their knowing

… then your name will soon become “mud” on the internet.

Ridsdale’s name is now just that (some would argue not for the first time) after suggesting any funds raised from an early season ticket purchase initiative during December would be given to manager Dave Jones to sign new players.

Around £3 million was raised during a month when money is always tight but instead of playing staff reinforcements, the money now looks like it will be spent on an unpaid tax bill.

If Ridsdale was up front about the club’s financial plight in the first instance then I expect City’s loyal fans would have still bought their tickets anyway – it’s the way he goes about things which riles people the most.

Despite a heavy police presence at the Cardiff City Stadium, I managed to take some footage of the protest – take heed of the feelings of Cardiff City’s customers and make sure your business does not become the online equivalent of Peter Ridsdale…

Warning! The last five seconds of the video contains very graphic language. If you are offended by that sort of thing, don’t watch it all the way through to the end!