Many advertisers spend a lot of money encouraging potential customers into their business.
But what happens when those prospective customers walk in?
The reality is that lots of businesses are simply wasting that advertising money by failing to maximise each opportunity that advertising affords them.
Here are a few examples:
Shoe Store Sales Skills
I walked into a shoe store recently and I immediately knew that I wasn’t in for the standard ‘Can I help you?’ sales approach.
If you’re anything like me, that question is always countered with ‘Just browsing, thank you’.
The shoe salesman was a little different, asking me point blank,
“What have you come to buy today?”
“Some work shoes.”
“What colour do you want?”
“Black.”
“Lace-ups or slip-ons?”
“Lace-ups.” (Hey, I’m not a ‘Mod’ anymore! 😉)
“What size?”
“Eleven.”
“Take a look at these. Which do you prefer - this pair or this pair?”
“That pair.”
Sold.
For me, that was good. I like a nice, efficient transaction.
It didn’t end there though. Then the chap said, “I’d recommend you buy this leather preserver too. Spray it on before you wear them, again about a week later, and then again, every couple of weeks. It’ll weather-proof them and preserve the good look.”
Again, sold.
To finish up, he gave me a cloth to buff the colour to the best shine. “I’ll throw this in as well. Anything else you want to buy today?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
“Ok, thanks for your business. Have a good day!”
Next time I need a pair of shoes, where do you think I’m going?!
Overwhelming in Waitrose
We were having a sort of, “Thank goodness we’ve finally (well almost) finished the house” get together.
My better half went into Waitrose to buy several different kinds of cheese, bread, olives, and oils. The lady at the cheese counter asked, “What’s the reason for so much cheese?” and Bex explained the – slightly premature – celebration.
When Bex got to the checkout, the lady from the cheese counter re-appears with the biggest lump of Gouda you have ever seen!
She hands it to her and said, “This is a gift from all of us here at Waitrose, to congratulate you on your new home.” She’d even written that on a sticker.
That lady didn’t need to do that. But, she did. And, the story has been retold at least 10 times in two days. And now I’m telling you. 😊
Something so simple can have a very positive impact. Do we expect it from a store like Waitrose? I’ve learnt to expect nothing from anyone. But, when something like that happens, I just get wowed.
Here’s another one and this is so simple.
Sweating Buckets in Budgens
On one of these hot days recently, I took my 10-year-old to the petrol station to get an ice cream. No surprise, there was only a very small selection left.
Joseph said, “There’s not really any I like.”
A delivery man who happened to be passing by, pulling a huge pallet of goods on a trolley heard him and stopped. The poor bloke was sweating buckets, but said, “Hello young man, what do you like?”
“Calippo!”
The bloke unpacked everything there and then, to produce a box of Calippo. “What’s your favourite flavour?”, he asks.
“Orange!”
“Mine too,” he said. “I think we both deserve one.”
Result? One delighted 10-year-old!
Now, is that just the goodness of human nature? Or, is it an example of someone who could’ve just walked on past doing his job, but is rather clever?
So, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary…? Well, it’s that little bit ‘extra’, of course.
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We’d love to hear of any customer experiences you’ve had recently. Because, if they’re good, people need to hear about them!
