They're just not that into you...

I recently stumbled upon this website - HeTexted.com - where women submit a text (or series of texts) they have received from a guy, and it is up to the other users to either click on one of the three options: "He's into you", "He's not into you" or "The verdict is still out." There is also an option for users to comment, and all responses are recorded for all to see. Some of the texts are cute, some are confusing, while others are sledgehammer subtle as to the intentions of the sender:

Now don't get me wrong, I am a hopeless romantic, and generally look for the positives, but in this example, it is pretty obvious that Tyler is NOT INTO YOU. How do I know? Firstly, he left. Secondly he is not keen to meet up again. Thirdly, she has not heard from him since. Pretty clean cut case. 

Professionally, how many times though, do we not get the hint that a client is just not that into you? It could start with delayed responses to correspondence, after periods of their prompt reply to emails or phonecalls. It can be that you are constantly playing messagebank tag with them, as you attempt to make contact. As with personal relationships, it can be that you are the very last one to know that your client is already seeing someone else. Breaking up is hard to do!  

As with love, should we chase? Shower with gifts? Swear we will change? Beg for a second chance? Or should we accept that our beloved now belongs to someone else, and try to win the heart of another? 

Unlike on HeTexted.com, or in discussions with broken hearted friends, is can be harder to get over the fact that you have lost a client, because generally it is nothing personal, it is just 'business'. Dollars and cents are often worth more than history or good will. This is why it is essential to ensure that you give 100% to your business relationships, as you would your personal relationships: damp towels on the floor or late home from the pub might be recoverable blights, but not being attentive to the business needs of your client could be fatal for your relationship. 

Trust becomes a huge factor in these relationships and there will be times that you get burnt. That is often how trust works - your faith in humanity occasionally sees you making decisions with more heart than head. I was speaking to a business owner today who had trusted a client, and ordered tens of thousands of dollars of stock for this client, only to discover that the client had made a similar business deal with another company and all of the stock she had ordered was now completely worthless. Legally, there was no obligation for the business owner to have ordered the stock, and there was no guarantee of continued patronage by the client, however they had a longstanding relationship which, in the end, amounted to very little. In this situation, all you can do is get back up, dust yourself off, and continue on, a little less trusting, and a lot wiser. 

Unrequited love is not confined to the business/client relationships either. I am often amused by things that become uncool, seemingly overnight. Nickelback, for example, used to be a run of the mill rock band. But somewhere between How You Remind Me and Trying Not to Love You, they became the epitome of uncool. I remember reading somewhere, on the news that Chad Kroger had become engaged to fellow Canadian Avril Lavine, "I threw up in my mouth a little bit." Crocs, believe it or not were kind of cool when they first launched onto the footwear scene, albeit for a few fleeting moments. Products tipped to be the next big thing - XXXX Summer Bright, Viber, Zuma, mid-legth skirts, Carmens bars, an endless assortment of alcoholic ciders - have failed to feel the love. This just demonstrates that the 10%ers, who are influencing their social groups, can't always get it right.     

All things i (iPad/Pod/Phone/etc) dominate the technology landscape. Once upon a time, Apple computers were only for the graphic design types, but now are commonplace. But will there come a time where Apple is uncool to the masses again? There is serious competition on the phone front, from Samsung, and the recent release of the 'much ado about nothing' iPhone 5 has done little to retain existing iPhone users. Increasingly more tablets are available, which do more than what iPads can currently do. The notion of a standalone MP3 player/ iPod is becoming outdated, with more phones possessing the capability to store and play a large collection of music. For such a long time, Apple has wilfully ignored the 'lack of Flash' on the iPad, and refuse to listen to their users because the folk at Apple are way too forward thinking for anyone else to understand. Kind of like a techno-emo...you know, the overly dramatic, 'nobody understands me' type :) How long is it, before everything 'i' goes out of fashion? Or will users simply forgive the transgressions (dud maps, poor updates, changing the port pin size) and live happily ever after? Time will tell. 

While true love never dies, crushes and love affairs come and go. In romantic, plutonic and business relationships, communication is critical. Don't lose sleep wondering, "is he/she just not that into me?" Communicate your expectations, reinforce your benefits, and if it is true love, fight for it.