The Relationship Economy: A Review

The Relationship Economy is a book written by J. Dijulius, that depicts concepts that I have found myself particularly interested in. Since I was a senior in high school, I have been fascinated with the importance of communication, but I had absolutely no idea the significance of the problem that the lack of communication was.

Early on, I knew how vital good interpersonal communication was. I could see how my classmates struggled to communicate face-to-face but thrived when talking through Snapchat or instant messaging. This made me realize that something was missing in a large portion of my generation. The ability to communicate relationally.

In the book The Relationship Economy, Dijulius writes about the importance of relationships and communication in the world, specifically in the world of business.

Dijulius (2019) starts his book with the intense quote “today’s illiterate are those who have an inability to truly make a deep connection with others” (p. 1). While relationships with people was once the norm of our culture, Dijulius believes that the pendulum has now swung to the other end where connection with people is extremely low and technology is overused. This has left individuals craving personal connection and purpose.

He continues to explain what exactly the relationship economy is. The relationship economy “is about building a culture that recognizes the importance of each individual and of making everyone a part of a community that is working together toward something bigger” (Dijulius, 2019, p. 11). Meaning that is combines all of the factors of relationships and building rapport and acknowledging that these are the factors that set apart true connection and business success.

Throughout the rest of the book, Dijulius explains the different aspects of how the relationship economy is important and should be used to gain business success.

To start, he talks about how the customer service industry is being changed and destroyed by the overuse of mechanical devices. The service is being taken over by robots that do not give the same customer experience resulting in higher customer satisfaction. While having his technology is beneficial to lower costs and streamline processes, it comes at a relational and empathetic loss. Business owners should instead focus on the customer experience by hiring Chief eXperience Officers (CXO) to manage customer experience, engage consumers with empathy, and teach employees to radiate good customer service.

Next, Dijulius continues the conversation by touching on humanizing the future. He believes that a smile and empathy truly set apart good interactions from bad.

He talks about technology and how it is ruining our brains. It is ruined the creativity we have by overstimulating us. It is important to step away from this and allow ourselves to think and create a relationship with ourselves.

The next section displays how to meet strangers and walk away from the conversation as friends. Dijulius (2019) gives a four-step question model that helps strangers talk about themselves, which leaves the two with an unintimidating intimate conversation, where both parties are involved and appreciated. The model is developed through the acronym FORD: Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams (p. 63). These conversations instantly break walls and allow for connection to begin.

The rest of the book talks about how to truly implement the Relationship Economy into your business and to create a brand that consumers cannot live without. Relationships created in this way create loyal customers that will benefit your brand for a long time.

Dijulius, J. (2019). The Relationship Economy. Greenleaf Book Group.