A Modern Take on a Classic Saying
During a recent visit to my local hardware store, I observed a familiar interaction between an elderly customer and the store’s assistant.
The customer was after a small replacement part for under theirkitchen sink which the store no longer stocked as it was too old.
The assistant was trying to be helpful, but ultimately failed at providing what the customer was after. The best solution he was able to offer was that the customer would need to redo all of the plumbing in their kitchen to make it compatible with modern components.
I empathised with the customer as I had been in a similar situation myself.
I felt that I could offer some advice by suggesting they try their luck at a building salvage store up the road, which specialises in old parts.
As I was driving home from the store I asked myself whether the customer was right in this situation.
By the time I got home my conclusion was that they actually were.
Listen to the Customer
The elderly gentleman was indeed correct in assuming that the store would have the particular component. After all, this was a big hardware store with a comprehensive plumbing section, and their problem was plumbing-related.
Also, the component they were after definitely did exist, as they were holding a faulty version of it in their hand.
The customer was not a plumber by trade so they did not have to be familiar with current building standards, or know that the part they were looking for was no longer manufactured.
Finally, for better or worse, the assistant was obviously trying to capitalise on the situation by suggesting the customer should update all of their kitchen plumbing, a venture which was not only expensive, but very time consuming and completely unnecessary.
In short, the customer was right. Meanwhile the store was wrong by not offering a solution to that particular customer’s problem, regardless of whether they would make any money that day.
The Lesson
When it comes to marketing, it is important that you always listen to the customer, and put yourself in their situation. In the above example, if you were the one looking for a particular part, you wouldn’t care if the store didn’t make a sale from you that day. You would only care that they were helpful enough to point you in the right direction which would bring you closer to solving your problem.
This kind of help builds trust and respect, and all but guarantees the customer frequents your establishment again.
Leaving the customer feeling afraid, by making them think their problem is bigger than it actually is, only makes them fear your store and its staff, and ensures they never come back, or recommend your business to anyone else.
There are many other strategies which you can employ when it comes to changing someone’s beliefs or opinions about something, and I will cover those in future blogs, so if you don’t want to miss out, consider subscribing to our mailing list.
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