More than ever it’s the key to your success
By Rich Lindblom, AVB Marketing
You know, it’s actually kind of funny … before the days of the internet, we independent retailers always said that what separated us from the big box stores was our higher level of customer service.
Then along came the internet, which became the great equalizer. In the eyes of an online shopper, every retailer pretty much looks the same as long as they have a high-quality transactional website. A potential customer doesn’t know how many employees you have, the dollar value of the merchandise in your warehouse or the square footage of your showroom.
You all sell commodities — the same exact commodities as the box stores — and with the advent of MAP and PMAP pricing, everyone, save a few exceptions, is largely selling those same exact commodities for pretty much the same price, give or take a buck or two.
For the online shopper, the internet truly put everyone on equal footing: A solid website from AVB Marketing will give you the same online presence as your largest competitor. And that is good news for more than one reason:
- Shoppers see your company in the same light as the multi-million-dollar behemoth you all compete against every day. The smallest dealer in BrandSource looks very much like a $50 million dealer to the online shopper.
- More important, this shifts the emphasis back to customer service as a key differentiator, where you all outshine the big box stores.
The way I see it, retail has come full circle. Thirty years ago, when talking to a customer who was comparing your store to the box stores, your weapon of choice was superior customer service. And today, that needs to be your selling point once again.
All things being equal, you are superior to your competition. You have the best and most knowledgeable salespeople along with the best and most highly trained service and delivery technicians.
But it is not enough to simply say you offer better customer service; you need to practice what you preach. You need to put the customer first or, better yet, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Treat them the way you would like to be treated. Here are a couple of quick customer service reminders for you to think about:
- Listen, listen, listen. If you listen to the customer and give them a chance to communicate with you, they will almost always tell you exactly what they need, what they want or what they expect from your company.
- Don’t take things personally. Regardless of the reason for the conversation, never take personal offense to anything a customer says. The more they communicate with you the more likely you will be able to satisfy them.
- Think big picture. Often times, giving a small concession today will lead to repeat business in the future, where you can earn back the concession value many times over.
- It’s never just one customer. A happy customer will tell five to 10 others about their experience, and an unhappy customer will tell as many as 20 friends about a bad one. Which means you need to treat every customer with kid gloves and take care of them, because the two most valuable assets in your company are your employees and your customers.
The bottom line is that customer service has been and will continue to be the most important determinant of a company’s success or failure. So get out there and strive to make every customer a happy customer.
Rich Lindblom is a past principal of Advanced Maytag Home Appliance Center, a 64-year-old family business in the Chicagoland area. After working at and eventually leading the company for more than four decades, he and his brother sold the operation. Lindblom is now sharing his hard-won retail experience with fellow BrandSource members in a regularly appearing column for YSN, and is product manager of AVB’s proprietary SYNC point-of-sale system. You can contact Rich at rich.lindblom@avb.net.
