(By Pat Bryson) Bad news first: a few weeks ago, I needed two items that a quick search on the Internet showed me should be available at Best Buy. I’m rabid about buying from storefronts since most of our business comes from local sources. Even though Best Buy isn’t local, they do have a store I can walk into, see and touch the merchandise, and have customer service answer questions.
But I spoke too quickly. Yes, I could walk in, but I never found what I was looking for, nor was there anyone available to assist me. So, I walked out, money still in my wallet. I returned home and ordered the two items off the Internet. Amazon got my money.
What hit me as I drove away is that businesses today must be VERY good at turning foot traffic into sales. If they don’t capture the potential consumer, the consumer will go elsewhere. It is too easy today to sit in your bed in your PJ’s and order whatever you wish. It will show up at your door in a day or so.
Local businesses must engender loyalty and over-the-top customer service to remain competitive. Sadly, it is rare to find that type of service. Good service is also made more difficult today with the unavailability of good people to hire. (Note: Radio is a great source for recruiting staff!)
Which brings me to the good news: I was sweating away at my Jazzercise class when the instructor shared a story with us about her customer service experience at Einstein Bagels. She was taking her daughter back-to-school shopping and had gone through the drive through to get a bagel with cream cheese and water. Total $2.08. As she got her wallet to pay, no wallet! She was mortified (three cars behind her in line), apologized profusely and told the window clerk she had forgotten her wallet and would need to go home and get it. Before she drove away, the clerk gave her the bagel and said, “It’s on us.”
My instructor went home, got her wallet, and returned to Einstein Bagels to pay. They refused her money!
The moral to this story is this: This story was told in front of 40 women, many of whom will now view Einstein Bagels in a positive light. They will probably make a point of going there, to the point of going out of their way, because female consumers want to support “white hat” businesses.
Their $2.08 investment in positive marketing will repay them many times over in positive comments shared among friends. (By the way, in case you didn’t know this already, female consumers like to TALK. They share information with everyone they know. The “chat factor” makes women invaluable consumers. They will be your biggest champions OR will tell everyone they know not to shop with you.)
Please remind your clients (and sellers) that going the extra mile with consumers will pay off. Not doing so can be lethal. And we should remember this when dealing with our clients. We need to find ways to please our clients to the extent that they will refer us to other business owners they know.
There are many ways to advertise today. We must become the “source” of marketing knowledge for our client and the purveyors of exceptional service.
Happy Selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, “A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales” and “Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change” available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.
We need to hear this stuff every day. I’m sure many people have a number of stories like this-both good and not so good. It seems these days many companies are busy looking at spreadsheets rather than the people who contribute to them. Radio in many ways suffers the same issue. We KNOW what the listener wants and still many stations refuse to take the extra effort to give it to them. Here’s hoping that the Einstein employee doesn’t get dinged for giving away free stuff. The best way to build brand loyalty is still word of mouth.