You’re on the road in an unfamiliar town and it’s lunch time.  You look around and see a neighborhood pizza place sandwiched between a couple of franchise giants.  Remembering your annoyance over not being able to enjoy last night’s episode of CSI without being assaulted a couple dozen times by dueling burger ads, you choose the Mom and Pop shop.

It’s the kind of place where the same guy is behind the counter everyday. Even though you’ve never been there before, you know it’s the same guy everyday because nearly everyone who comes through the door greets him by name and 95 percent of the time he responds in kind. In the time it takes you to eat your sandwich, you’re amazed as you watch how he interacts with the 25 customers that come in.

Not only does he know who they are, he knows stuff about their lives. He congratulates Ralph on his daughter Maggie’s basketball scholarship. He comments to Steve about his new haircut. He asks Ellen how her father is making out after his recent surgery.

Just an hour earlier you were lamenting to yourself about why your business isn’t performing the way you envisioned it would. You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do in order to succeed:

• You spent lots of money on creating a professionally designed web site
• You have high quality matching business cards
• You placed ads in the newspapers and trade publications that your target market reads
• You joined the local chamber of commerce and have a Facebook account

So why aren’t people beating down your door to do business with you?

Maybe the answer is as plain as the pizza on your plate. Gus owns the shop that you’re sitting in. He doesn’t have a web site or business cards. He doesn’t advertise in the local paper, but he sponsors a Little League team and a Youth Soccer team. He’s not a member of the chamber of commerce, but he is a Boy Scout leader and a member of the Lions Club.

Gus knows who his tribe is, where they congregate and what matters to them.  Because he understands these things and has demonstrated that understanding with his marketing and public relations activities, his tribe willingly and eagerly gathers at his watering hole each day at noon.

He doesn’t tell people about his business. He shows them that he cares about their lives, their community and their families.  People buy from Gus because they like him. And they like him because he shows them that he likes them. People don’t care how much you know about what you do until they know how much you care them and what they do!

I’m not saying you should ditch the web site, business cards, advertising and chamber membership. I’m saying those things alone are not enough. Those things are tools that can be very effective business builders once people know how much you care.

Hot insider tip: If you want to build a solid business, build solid relationships first – the buzz word these days is tribe.  Whether you do it with email, birthday greetings, a newsletter, personal phone calls or some combination of these kind of relationship marketing methods, by building a solid connection with your tribe, you’ll soon be a happy business camper.

Lisa Almeida is a Keep It Simple Strategic E-marketing Mentor (KISS’em) and owner of Planit Production. She teaches business owners how to get big business results on small business budgets. If you are in the market for strategies that deliver the results you want while honoring your vision and values visit http://www.PlanitwithLisa.com today to receive the weekly ezine, Going Soul-o with tips and tools for marketing your business authentically.