What Do You think You See?

Growing up in the less leafy and more dusty suburbs of Nairobi I had a rather different perception of wealth and opulence. I used to think that I would rather lose an arm and a leg to have a couple of millions in my account despite the fact that I was ten and I couldn't open an account leave alone have the millions I daily wished for. To me such products as body lotion and sunscreen were a reserve for the kids born knowing that some parts of Nairobi were crowded desserts. I used to imagine that once you are rich you are a god of sorts and you deserved to be worshiped and treated like one. However,it wasn't my fault because my dad narrated to me stories about how the rich lived and what they could do if they really wanted to. I was one of those kids who believed that a pilot was the richest man in the world mostly because they were always being driven in nice cars and they had planes which they offered to us peasants so that we could feel like birds and justify the many costly fund-raisers to educate the older children abroad. Today,most of my purchases are in part driven by my previous perceptions and nurtured background because hey you can take a villager from the village but you can never take the village from inside of him.
Back then,to me,passengers had no option but to partake in a warm spirited conversation with the pilots mostly because they were being appreciative for the quality services rendered and the fact that they would be mingling with an important member of the society and after all for the few hours they were together he had their lives in his hands. As I got older and wiser I found out that the narrative was different first of all I had no idea how good female pilots are at what they do (I guess it must be the natural instinct to always care)secondly the passengers were actually the ones who enabled pilots to live their dreams of always flying (the conversations then must have probably been him getting feedback) and lastly I realized that pilots are well off but are not some of the wealthiest people alive. Dreams were cracked but not shattered by this time since my perception totally changed.
In today's world it is solely the responsibility of every business,be it large or small,to positively shape and influence the perception of the customer towards their brand or product or services. For example in Kenya a Range Rover is for a certain clientele,the rich,for some of us acquiring it will be the pinnacle of our success. As a machine it is not the best thing you could live with but as a status symbol it all changes with its class,elegance and simple sophistication. Being a customer service advocate and enthusiast I consider positively outstanding customer perception influence is one of the pinnacles a business should aim at achieving it is the holy grail for a business and once its done it has a snow ball effect including but not limited to free advertising and less sales cost thus helping you stick to perfecting your flag-ship product or service.
After all it is said that 'The Customer's perception is your reality'