All things being equal, independents still rule
By Rich Lindblom, Contributor
Retail has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades thanks to what I like to call the Two Great Equalizers:
- The internet
- MAP/PMAP pricing
The combination of these two developments has been a game changer for independent retailers like yourself.
A great website can put you on a level playing field with anyone, because customers only know what they see on your site. They don’t know if your company is large or small, how many trucks you run or how many staffers you employ. All they know is that your business looks just as impressive online as your competitors.
And when you add MAP/PMAP pricing to the equation, you are (or at least should be) at the same price as your big-box competition.
So now, when a potential customer compares you to the box store down the street, you both look great. Which means the customer has a decision to make about where to purchase that appliance. And therein lies the problem with all things being equal: If everyone has a great website and the same product at the same price, how does a customer decide where to buy?
In many cases, the determining factor comes down to customer service. In which case, I ask you:
- Who treats the customer the better?
- Who has the more knowledgeable sales staff?
- Who has the more professional looking store and product display?
- Who has the product in stock for same- or next-day delivery?
- Who can deliver and install it correctly on the first trip?
- Who can provide service after the sale?
All other things being equal, you have the tools to win the deal every time. And that’s your job as an owner/manager — to impress and win the customer away from your competition. You need to work at it, and you need to be ever vigilant, not only in offering those advantages but in making the customer aware of them as well. You need to give them a reason to buy from you instead of your competitors.
I can guarantee they are trying to do the same thing to you. But you have the upper hand because you do so many things better than they ever can. So use it to your advantage and take what is rightfully yours.
The bottom line is that nowadays it all comes down to serving the customer. So take a good look in the mirror, because like it or not … you are the face of customer service.
Rich Lindblom sold his 64-year-old family business, Advanced Maytag Home Appliance of Schaumburg, Ill., and now shares his more than four decades of retail experience with BrandSource members as product manager of AVB’s SYNC point-of-sale system and as a YSN columnist. You can reach Rich at rich.lindblom@avb.net.
