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Category: Customer Expectations

Be the “Hot” in Your Category

Seth Godin pointed out something the toy industry has known for a few years…

There is no singular HOT toy to drive in the traffic.

Hasn’t really been one since the first Tickle Me Elmo back in 1997. Oh, sure, there have been some hard-to-find items, a few crazes here and there, but nothing like the way people went bonkers over that furry red guy that vibrated and laughed. They stood in long lines, got into fist-fights, paid hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to get one.

Those days are over. And that is good news for you.

The traffic still craves direction and guidance. The traffic still wants to know where to go and what to buy. The traffic is still looking for something Hot.

So instead of the Hot item, be the Hot store.

You do this by being innovative.

Are you in a downtown location with limited parking? Offer free valet service. Are you in a winter weather environment? Offer coat check and coffee or hot cocoa. Are you in a category that requires special knowledge? Offer classes and tutorials. Do you get a lot of out-of-town traffic? Offer local maps to interesting sites, fabulous restaurants and other great shops in your area.

Rotate your merchandise regularly. Make fun and surprising displays that get people to talk about you and want to see what you are doing.

You do this by being iconic.

You know that every woman in the room pays extra attention to the package wrapped in the turquoise blue. Tiffany owns that color. What can you own?

You do this by being fun.

Smiling and saying hello makes people happy. Genuinely having fun gets those happy people to talk about you. You could play guessing games. You could have quick polls and sign-in books. You could run contests. You could have giveaways. Just make sure you hire fun people.

Regardless of what the media tries to promote, there is no hot toy anymore. Only hot stores. Be one of them.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS It is no longer about Customer Service. It is all about Customer Experience. The better the experience, the more people will want to have that experience.

Be Good for Goodness Sake

(Yes, Christmas music has taken over my brain…)

Just a quick reminder that during this busy season it is easy to dismiss problem customers. It is easy to not give your full attention to a needy customer. It is easy to blow off that demanding customer.

You are already plenty busy enough. What difference does it make if you do not give everyone a great experience? Your numbers are good.

This year.

But you are also planting the seed for next year.

Retailers are farmers. We plant seeds, water and fertilize all year long so we can reap the harvest at Christmas. But unlike the real farmers who plant in the spring and harvest in the fall, we plant during the harvest.

We plant the seeds for next year in how we treat the customers this year. Treat them well and they will become perennials. Treat them poorly and your harvest next year will suffer (and you won’t know why).

This is your busiest time of year, the time when you see the most people. Do whatever you have to do to make sure every single one of them gets the best possible treatment. Next year’s harvest is counting on it.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS If you want some good ideas on how to fertilize that crop, download the FREE eBook Customer Service: From Weak to WOW! The one card you can consistently play and always trump your competition is the Customer Experience card.

Someone Is Lying to Me

My favorite gas station just changed all their pumps to Pre-Pay.

The clerk told me it was a corporate decision. She had no choice in the matter. She also told me that she had been getting flak all day long for it. She did not like it. Neither did the customers.

But somebody at the home office thinks that pissing off customers and upsetting the employees is a necessary way to do business.

The part I really do not understand is that every time the general public complains about price-fixing in gasoline, we are told by these gas stations that they do not make any money on the gas, only the soda and snacks they sell inside the store.

Yet, they just gave me an excuse to not have to set foot in the store again. I just swipe my card at the pump, get my gas, and go. Probably will be good for my diet. Probably will not be good for their bottom line.

So either they are having a rash of drive-aways or they really are making money on the gas. I think we would have heard about the former. Somebody is lying to me.

But it begs the question we all should ask about our business. Where do we make the money? And are we setting up barriers to our customers that keep them from giving us that money?

I think that second question is the driving force behind this corporate decision.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Yes, you should put your best, most profitable merchandise in the best location in the store. Start there and build everything else around that focal point. That is the number one rule to merchandising. For more rules and thoughts on merchandising, download my FREE eBook Merchandising Made Easy.

Is Somebody Trying to Screw You?

You think your return policy is quite liberal. Somebody still tries to take advantage of you.
You think your layaway policy is quite liberal. Somebody still tries to take advantage of you.
You think your giftwrapping policy is quite liberal. Somebody still tries to take advantage of you.

No matter what wonderful, friendly, customer-oriented, liberally-applied service you offer, there is always that one customer who will try to take advantage of it and you. Don’t take it personally. It isn’t you, it is her. She does that with everyone. She always pushes the boundary.

There are two ways to deal with her.

Either tighten up your policies so restrictive and enforce them so tough that she stops doing business with you altogether. Or simply allow her to do what she wants and chalk it up to the cost of doing business.

The first way, however, doesn’t solve the problem. The tighter your policies and the tougher you enforce them, the more boundary pushers you will have. Since these customers are a real pain the neck for your staff, all you accomplish is to upset more people including your front line workers who are the face of your business.

The second way is much better. First understand that the vast majority of your customers are not out to screw you. They love you. The few who actually take advantage of you are exactly that – a few. Embrace them. Love them. Shower them with affection for being customers and you very well might even convert them into partners who work for the mutual benefit of both of you.

Plus, when you make your policies so liberal that it is almost impossible for someone to try to take advantage of you, you eliminate much of the negative feelings your staff might have towards certain customers, feelings, by the way, that can be felt by everyone in the store.

Make your policies liberal, then make them even more liberal. Do you allow returns? Instead of 30 or 60 days, give them a year to change their mind. Give them a store credit if they don’t have a receipt. We once took back a large boxed item that had our competitor’s sticker on it. It was a product I knew I would sell quickly so it was a win-win. The customer was happy and I was, too.

Then empower your staff to make your customers smile by breaking the rules whenever possible. It makes your staff feel more important, makes them happier, too.

Most of your customers will have a receipt, will be in quickly, will not give you any hassles – no matter how you determine your return policy. So make your policy over-the-top liberal and you make everyone happy – except maybe the gal who really did want to screw you.

-Phil Wrzesinski
http://www.philsforum.com/

PS This goes for return policies, but also any policy you might have. Make it in the favor of the customer. Make it as easy for her to understand and use as you possibly can. The more restrictions and disclaimers, the more it turns her off. More than likely she will never use the most liberal part of that policy. But both she and your staff will be happier when you gladly give so much leeway.

Fifty Cent Words are a Dime a Dozen

I got this email the other day. Here it is verbatim…

Hi Phil,
May I send you information regarding an upcoming thought leadership summit focused on data driven decision making, integrated business planning and leveraging business analytics?

Regards,
Alex

I don’t know about you, but that looks like a bunch of business book vomit to me. A “thought leadership summit”? (who is thinking about what?) “Integrated business planning”? (integrated with whom?) “Leveraging business analytics”? (what analytics from where?)

Even if it was from a company I recognized and trusted, I still might not attend because I would feel left out from the beginning because I don’t even know what those phrases mean. I don’t want to go where I will feel like a fool.

Your customers are the same way. They will not go where they feel foolish, either. Do not use words or phrases in your marketing, on the phone or in person that might make them feel that way.

Every industry has big words specific to that industry. But do not assume that your customers understand all those words. Whenever possible, use simple words that make the same point without making the customer feel foolish. Your customers will be more trusting, more comfortable, and more likely to act.

Hi Phil,

Can I send you an invitation to a meeting of business owners who want to learn new ways to look at data to make their businesses more profitable?

Regards,
Alex

Alex, I would have allowed you to send me an invitation if you had written your request that way.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com


PS One of my favorite Ernest Hemingway quotes… “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”

The Customer is in Front of You

I just got back from the All Baby & Child Expo in Louisville, KY. This is the big show for the baby products industry. Thousands of vendors, thousands of buyers, millions of square feet of showroom space.

This was the first time the show had been anywhere other than Las Vegas. Louisville was a big risk. A little harder to get there for those flying. Not the same level of entertainment options. Not the same international cache. Add in the not-quite-stellar economy and the buzz was…

Would there be good attendance?

Apparently not. I lost count how many times I had to listen to vendors complain how the lack of attendees was hurting their business and it was all the fault of the board of directors choosing this location.

Fortunately, I also heard from a fair number of vendors who were having an awesome show, meeting new people, opening new accounts, writing serious orders. It wasn’t Vegas, but it was business, and they were doing it.

The difference? Attitude.

At one point, after listening to a lengthy rant about the show location and poor turnout, I looked at the person across the table and said rather indignantly, “I’m here and I’m writing an order. I don’t care about all that other crap.”

The point is that you can complain about the lack of customers for your business or you can embrace the customers that do show up. Complaining will not drive a single extra person through the doors. In fact, it will drive the few customers you have away. But if you focus on the positives of having a customer in front of you, she will bring you more business.

That is true at both trade shows and retail stores. We like to do business with happy, friendly people. Period. Keep your complaints to yourself.

When the attendance/traffic is not there, you have to maximize the business you do with the customers you have. You do that by being positive and upbeat. You do that by being friendly and helpful. You do that by making sure you focus on the customer in front of you. Make her feel special and welcome. Transfer confidence to her that your since your attitude is good, your business must be good, too.

Yeah, Retail 101. Amazing this past weekend how many people did not get it.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Is it any wonder that the people with the best attitude were having the best show? Your attitude is everything. You set the tone for your employees and your business. Make sure you put your best foot forward every day.

Phones Done Wrong

I’ve been beating the Customer Service drum for a few weeks now. It is the one biggest advantages we specialty store owners have over our competition.

Every now and then I see stores who get it right.

Every now and then I see reminders of how far we still need to go.

Just yesterday my wife had a moment that made her cringe. She wanted to find the hours of a local store. We needed to make a purchase.

They have a website, but their hours were not listed on it (mistake #1).

She called the store. The person who answered rattled off the hours so quickly that my wife could barely understand her (mistake #2).

Then the person never asked my wife if she had any other questions (mistake #3), if she needed directions (mistake #4), or even thanked her for calling (mistake #5).

Two minutes of interaction and five easily correctable mistakes.

If you do not have phone etiquette in your training program, you need to add it. You can turn a customer off before she even reaches your door with a poorly handled phone call.

-Phil Wrzesinski
http://www.philsforum.com/

PS Along with eliminating the four mistakes above, remind your staff to smile while on the phone. People can hear that smile in your voice. And always end the call with, “Thanks for calling.”

PPS A fun way to approach phone training with the entire staff is to play the telephone game where one person whispers something into the next person’s ear and so on around the circle until the last person relays the now-garbled message back to the beginning. Makes the staff laugh and gets them in the mood to accept the premise of clarity on the phone.

A Kid in a Candy Store

Actually two kids. My boys, ages 13 and 10.

After a day at the Michigan Renaissance Festival that thrilled my 10 year old because of the sword play, we stopped in the quaint little berg of Linden, MI to visit Linden Sweet Shoppe, owned by my toy store buddies Chris & Laura Mathews.

Chris & Laura weren’t in – good for them for getting a Saturday night off – but the two staff working that night were more than adequate replacements.

My boys were simultaneously in heaven and in paralysis.

My best estimate is that there were over 150 jars of candies from which the boys could choose lining the wall behind the counter. Every sweet imaginable from candy necklaces to pixie sticks to chocolate covered cake batter to LEGO-shaped, sweet-tart-tasting, building bricks.

The boys struggled to choose which candies would fill their bags.

Patience and Helpfulness
While they wandered up and down the aisle behind the counter (yes, the staff let them back there to get a better look) I was getting impatient. Make a decision, I cajoled them. Meanwhile, the staff showed amazing patience, carefully explaining each candy, giving them samples if appropriate, sharing their favorites, and overall treating these boys as if they were princes in their palace.

Other customers entered the store and the staff greeted them by name, asked about previous purchases, and made everyone feel equally important. Still, my boys dragged on the decision-making process. I had time to order and eat my ice cream cone (Deep Dish Apple – delicious and just the perfect temperature!) while the boys agonized over every jar.

And still, again, the staff treated them like royalty. All for a $17 sale!

WOW Customer Service still lives. I saw it with my own two eyes. (And that was before I introduced myself as a friend of the owners.) Here are some of the things the staff did right:

  • Greeted customers by name (when they knew them)

  • Talked about the product openly and honestly

  • Had helpful product knowledge

  • Showed amazing patience

  • Smiled constantly

  • Treated every customer like he or she was special

  • Treated every request like it was their delight to honor it

  • Acted happy to be there

Does your staff act that way at 8:30pm on a Saturday night? They should. Chris & Laura figured out how to get their staff to do it. You can, too.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS It starts with hiring and continues with training. The staff Chris & Laura hired have the character traits necessary to be helpful and patient. The next time you hire, choose the traits over the experience. You can teach them the rest.

PPS The Renaissance Festival featured some wonderful lessons, too. The attention to detail of the costumes, accents, and language added to the fun of the day. And there is nothing better than topping off any event with a turkey drumstick smoked to perfection.

PPPS My younger son went with the building brick candies, candy pumpkins, cake batter balls, and candied orange slices. My older son did a jaw breaker on a stick, a gigantic pixie stick, and building brick candies. Absolute heaven!

Right, Right, Right

Just read an interesting article on a discussion board (sorry, don’t have the source link) about the new wave in retailing.

Interesting because it talks about how big-box stores are downsizing to meet the needs of the new shoppers.

Interesting because it talks about how today’s shoppers (now being called Generation C for their connected, communicative, computer-savvy, community-minded outlook) shops differently than any previous generation.

Interesting because it quotes heavily an inventory management software company that uses a lot of 50-cent words like…

Deploying network inventory strategies that optimize stocking policies and maximize the availability merchandise, reducing stock-outs and eliminating excess inventory, in a forward-looking time-phased methodology combined with guided exceptions, and early warning signals to support root cause analysis.

The bottom line of the article is that today’s customer is using her phone, her computer and the Internet to do more research than ever before making purchases. She knows the products, the features, and the general price range.

She will only buy from you if you have the Right product in the Right price range and give her the Right kind of service.

Yeah, not really a new concept to retail. The only difference is that it is easier for customers to know what are the right products and right price range for them. So you have to be as savvy as them.

You have to be following trends in your area closer than before to make sure you have the right products. You have to be paying attention to price far more than you used to (although the Internet makes that easier for you, just as it is easier for her.) You have to be giving far better service than what is found in a typical retailer (and you cannot have an off day.)

The big box stores are in trouble because even with all their computers they cannot accomplish the first thing on that list because they cannot react fast enough when things change. And they never had a chance at Right kind of service. Yet all their focus has been on getting the Right price. They are downsizing because their sales are downsizing. Look at their same-store sales. Down for Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Sears, and Toys R Us.

For the specialty stores, our biggest issue is having the right products, followed by having the right prices. We have to be careful we do not drive ourselves out of the market by dropping a line as soon as it gets discounted somewhere and thereby not having the right goods. Then we have to look at pricing and what we can afford. We don’t have to match but we have to be in the range. The one thing we do have Right is the customer service (most of the time:-).

The reason the Internet is having such a huge influence on retail sales lately is because it is accomplishing the first two Rights (product and price) and getting better on the third (service).

Retail hasn’t really changed. Customers haven’t really changed. If you have the right products to meet their needs at a fair price and you take really good care of them, you’ll have plenty of customers coming through your doors. Same as it has always been.

-Phil Wrzesinski

www.PhilsForum.com

PS Sure, you have to work hard to do all those things. But retail has always been that way. Ancient Chinese Proverb says, “To open a shop is easy, to keep it open an art.” Roy H. Williams said, “If making a profit were easy, everyone would be doing it.”

PPS Before you spend a penny on a software program full of 50-cent words, check out what I have to say for FREE.

Laughter and Delight

Do you remember the last time you laughed while shopping?

Of course you do. Those experiences are memorable. Those moments are what make shopping fun. The store that brings you those memories will easily be your favorite store.

It has to be someone. Might as well be you.

Bob Phibbs just wrote a fantastic post about the importance of laughter in the sales relationship. The more you hire fun, friendly people, the more laughter you will hear on the sales floor. Laughter leads to delight leads to confidence leads to sales.

And it isn’t just for retail. Service companies can use laughter and delight to make customers for life. Here is what a dentist friend of mine just did, told in his own words…

My aim is to delight people.

So I did.

I asked a patient how old her older son is and then we got to talking about how long she’d been coming to our practice. I started in 1988; her first appointment was in 1991. So, as of August, it’s been 20 years. A wonderful patient, stays healthy, comes in every 6 months, has referred friends to us.

So, I go,”It’s our anniversary! Happy Anniversary!”

She and my hygienist laugh, and she says, kinda kidding and without really thinking, “Does that mean I get my teeth whitened for free?”

I said, “You bet!”

And then gave her a hug, and got her scheduled for her whitening, on me.

Do you think she will be talking about him and referring him to ALL of her friends and family? Absolutely! She never dreads going to the dentist because he makes it so wonderful for her.

Engage your customers. Make them smile and laugh. Surprise and delight them. That, my friends, is WOW! Customer Service.

-Phil Wrzesinski

http://www.philsforum.com/



PS Yes, he gave away a free whitening. He did it on a whim and with the only aim being to delight his patient. That is a great example of generosity that will buy him more advertising via word-of-mouth than any advertising he could have bought traditionally. Chalk it up as an advertising expense if you have to, but never be afraid to give it away.