DOES YOUR SUPPLIER HAVE A HEART? By Wm. Bruce Mouncey

It has long been said that consumers vote with their dollars. But how do you, as a consumer, choose a supplier, when everybody promises high quality, fair prices, and outstanding service? One way to differentiate between suppliers is to ask yourself, “Where do I want to spend my Social Capital?”

What is ‘Social Capital’? It is passion. It is people. It is networks of people mobilizing for a common cause. It is important things, like the Civil Rights movement. It is the missionaries from your neighborhood church, spreading their message of faith. It is voters, signing petitions to change the laws of the land. It is personal choices, like investing in a ‘green’ mutual fund, so that your investment dollars don’t support companies you wouldn’t do business with. It is people with a common affinity speaking with one voice. Social Capital is built any time a group speaks louder than the sum of their individual voices, because their strength is magnified by their unity.

Social Capital is not found only in non-profit organizations. For-profit companies, individual salespeople, and fee-based professionals often use their positions to do more than just make a profit. They make a difference. They use their contact with the public and their ability to earn income to rally support and raise funds for causes that are important to them. They generate Social Capital.

Who does this? People with passion. Not companies who make a token donation, “to be good corporate citizens,” but people like Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, who built their whole company around being socially responsible. People like Muriel Siebert, of Muriel Siebert & Co. stock brokerage, who has donated half of her income to several charities. This author does likewise. My passion is to honor the memory of my grandmother, my sister, and my mother, all lost to cancer in a short five year span. I personally have pledged to raise one million dollars to donate to organizations that are searching for a cure for cancer and other smoking-related diseases (such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes), while working to change specific laws that regulate tobacco. It’s always about people and passion.

When you patronize a supplier that takes a stand, you add you voice to theirs and use your Social Capital. Ask yourself: All things being equal, would you choose a supplier that supports your values, over one who takes no social position at all? Would you patronize a business because they believe what you believe? For many people, the answer is a resounding ‘YES!’ If this is true for you, then ask your suppliers and potential suppliers if they have a social position. Ask them what they are passionate about. Better yet, contact the charitable/political organizations you support, and ask them if they know of suppliers who support them. Then, vote with your dollars for those with whom you have a common affinity.

Endorse suppliers who endorse your beliefs. Spend your Social Capital where you spend your dollars. You just might help change the world, and it won’t cost you anything extra.

Wm. Bruce Mouncey lives in Kansas City, Mo., and is both an independent agent for Mega Life & Health Insurance Co, and a representative of the National Association of the Self-Employed. He can be reached at (800) 476-1311, (816) 808-1565, through his web site at www.naseweb.com/williammouncey.htm or by e-mail at radarbruce@kc.rr.com.