The following is another of my true-life adventures. I have been told over the years that I need to get out more often…this 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 “normally”, because one look around the parking lot showed that about 112% of shoppers unload their cart and just leave it…wherever. That’s fine if you like driving through an obstacle course…or in the winter: a demolition derby…but most of the time it’s just an inconvenience for everyone else and maybe that’s the goal all along.
Of course I wouldn’t bring this up if I was “one of them” but we all know I’m not. I certainly wouldn’t be calling myself out here. No…as I stated one-and-a-half inches up from here, I was in the process of returning my cart when one of the store associates…presumably a parking lot attendant…intercepted 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 stores…both nationally and locally…as well as to the individual associates. Don’t disregard them…say 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 won’t get me back in a store…or use any type of business or service…if I’ve had a bad experience. This young man’s courtesy is what I’ll most focus on the next time I need what that store features. As far as I was concerned, he’s one of their best salespeople.
But, you say…he works in the parking lot, not in sales. To this, I say “pfffft”. He’s 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 they’re most often what will get me to do business again.
This holds true for all retailers, promo businesses, car dealerships…you 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 recommended…but only by my insurance company. Their customer service…their “bedside manner” (hey…I was sorta laying down)…was 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 you’re wondering, no…I 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 I’m due for a cleaning is their way of selling, they’ve failed. They have a long way to go in learning how to actually sell (yes, I’ve opted out of future texts from them).
Company leadership needs to instill this sales attitude in all employee’s hearts and minds: everyone there is the face of the company, even if you’re 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 company’s 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 “all that” 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.