The following is another of my true-life adventures. I have been told over the years that I need to get out more oftenâŠthis is an example of what happens when I do.
After leaving a certain big-box store recently, I unloaded my cart and proceeded to take it back to the corral where these are normally kept. I say ânormallyâ, because one look around the parking lot showed that about 112% of shoppers unload their cart and just leave itâŠwherever. Thatâs fine if you like driving through an obstacle courseâŠor in the winter: a demolition derbyâŠbut most of the time itâs just an inconvenience for everyone else and maybe thatâs the goal all along.
Of course I wouldnât bring this up if I was âone of themâ but we all know Iâm not. I certainly wouldnât be calling myself out here. NoâŠas I stated one-and-a-half inches up from here, I was in the process of returning my cart when one of the store associatesâŠpresumably a parking lot attendantâŠintercepted me to take the cart and thank me for bringing it where it belonged.
I was very touched by this and, when I got home, made it a point to get online and respond to the survey that this store, as do many others, had at the bottom of the receipt (as it turns out, these surveys are very important to the storesâŠboth nationally and locallyâŠas well as to the individual associates. Donât disregard themâŠsay nice things.) I made sure to give high marks whenever possible, and I made a point of naming that parking lot attendant, stating that he was a credit to the store and should be acknowledged as such.
All the advertising in the world wonât get me back in a storeâŠor use any type of business or serviceâŠif Iâve had a bad experience. This young manâs courtesy is what Iâll most focus on the next time I need what that store features. As far as I was concerned, heâs one of their best salespeople.
But, you sayâŠhe works in the parking lot, not in sales. To this, I say âpfffftâ. Heâs in sales. Everyone who works at that store is in sales, whether they have a customer-facing position or not. They are all a reflection of the company and its culture, and theyâre most often what will get me to do business again.
This holds true for all retailers, promo businesses, car dealershipsâŠyou name it. When someone calls your company, whoever answers that phone is selling. They are selling themselves and your business. If I, as a customer, have a bad experience with someone in the chain of that call, that person has failed as a salesperson. I can easily take my business elsewhere.
As I think about it, this holds true even in the medical field. Earlier this year I had some dental work done at a practice that came recommendedâŠbut only by my insurance company. Their customer serviceâŠtheir âbedside mannerâ (heyâŠI was sorta laying down)âŠwas dreadful, all the way up to the dentist herself. They did nothing to sell me on their practice and make me want to continue to go there. They knew I was displeased with the work that they did (if youâre wondering, noâŠI did not go for implants which would give the impression that I might be smiling), and did nothing to try to earn my continued use of their practice. If their continued sending me texts stating that Iâm due for a cleaning is their way of selling, theyâve failed. They have a long way to go in learning how to actually sell (yes, Iâve opted out of future texts from them).
Company leadership needs to instill this sales attitude in all employeeâs hearts and minds: everyone there is the face of the company, even if youâre just sweeping up the warehouse or delivering my pizza (hopefully, this represents two separate businesses). Leadership should empower their workers to act as though where they are is their business.
As I wrote earlier, those surveys on receipts really do matter. The person lowest on that companyâs corporate ladder could be the one who gets me to come back for repeat business.
Sell me. Convince me. Keep this customer satisfied.
Mike Schenker, MAS, is âall thatâ at Mike Schenker, Consulting, where he assists businesses entering the promotional products industry, mentors professionals, and offers association management. He is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.