|
Author: Tim Knox Article source: http://www.insiderreports.com/. Used with author's permission.
Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up near my small book store. Already I can see my business starting to decline. Is there anything I can do to compete with the bigger store or should I just accept the inevitable?
-- Peter Q.
A: A wise man once said, "The inevitable is never a sure thing."
Don't be so quick to close the book on your business, Peter. You probably can't compete with the superstore on volume of inventory or on price, but there are other things you can do to help keep the customers coming in your door. One of the best ways to ensure customer loyalty is to offer superior customer service.
It's funny that you're a bookseller. Let me tell you about my last visit to one of the big chain bookstores just a few weeks ago.
I took my teenage daughter in to find the classic book, The Once and Future King, for a school project that has to be done over the summer. It was a Sunday afternoon and the store was crawling with customers. We spent fifteen minutes scouring this great warehouse of a bookstore, but couldn't find the book anywhere. We also couldn't find anyone who worked there to ask for help.
Finally, I went up to the front counter and asked the apathetic looking teenager who was manning the register if they had the book in stock. She looked at me as if I'd asked her to do advanced calculus in her head and said, "I dunno."
I asked if she might check her computer for me. She looked at me again, this time as if I'd just asked her to rotate the tires on my car without a jack. After a minute of tapping the keys with her long fingernails (which were painted black, by the way) she said, "Yeah, we have it."
"Great," I said. "Where can I find it?"
She glanced at the screen again and said, "It says that it's in the classics section."
"Great," I said again. I use the word "great" a lot when I'm trying to restrain myself from strangling incompetent sales people. "Where might the classics section be?"
She didn't bother to look at me or the computer this time. She just shrugged and said, "Beats me, man. I've only worked her a week. "
I wanted to ask if there was anyone who had worked there long enough to know where the ^%$# classics section was, but by that time there were a dozen or so people lining up behind me to pay for books they had somehow managed to find on their own.
I went home and ordered the book online. So much for supporting my local bookseller.
It's a shame your store isn't located near me, Peter. I'll bet if I walked in and asked for a copy of The Once and Future King you would be able to tell me almost to the square inch where the book is on the shelf in your store. I'll also bet that if you didn't have a copy in stock you would go out of your way to order it for me.
That is what superior customer service is all about: going the extra mile to satisfy your customer. That is what will keep customers coming back to your store time and time again.
Superior customer service leads to greater customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat business, which leads to the holy grail of the retail business: customer loyalty.
Here are a few tips on how to deliver superior customer service and build customer loyalty:
1. Anyone on your staff who deals directly with the customers should be well groomed and dressed appropriately for the job. Customers over 25 years old will not get a warm and fuzzy feeling if the guy processing their credit card is wearing an Ozzy Osborne tee-shirt and matching nose ring.
2. Sales people should be knowledgeable about the product they are selling. I can't tell you how many times I have asked a sales person a simple question and only got a blank stare in return. A lack of product knowledge does nothing to instill confidence in the customer.
3. Your staff should know where every product is without having to ask a manager or consult a computer. At the very least they should be able to point out the ^%$# classics section without blinking an eye.
4. Make it a point to know your customer's name. Nothing makes a customer feel special like the sound of his or her own name. You can't remember everyone's name, of course, but you should strive to remember the names of those customers who come in regularly. I f requent one particular restaurant and the owner not only knows my name, but the names of my wife and kids. And every time I set foot in his restaurant he calls me by name and shakes my hand and personally leads me to a table. I don't feel like a customer. I feel like a friend.
5. Offer personal services that the big boys do not. Anything you can do to make your customer's life easier will be appreciated and remembered. If a customer comes in and asks for a book you do not have, offer to order the book and deliver it to their home so they don't have to make another trip to pick it up. All this is going to cost you is a few minutes of your time and you will not only save a sale, but also make a lasting impression on that customer. The next time they need a book they will head your way.
There are other things you can do to combat the bookstore Goliath, Peter, but offering superior customer service is a great place to start.
Here's to your success!
Tim Knox Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim serves as the president and CEO of three successful technology companies and is the founder of DropshipWholesale.net, an online organization dedicated to the success of online and eBay entrepreneur.
Related Links:
http://www.prosperityandprofits.com
http://www.dropshipwholesale.net
Numerology Is More Than Numbers
Most people think numbers are a mere convenience and an
abstraction, which enables them to function better in the world.
Even though we use numbers in almost ...
Brochures - The Ultimate Sales Tool
Will your brochure cost you money or make you money by aiding the sale process? Discover some quick, easy, no-nonsense tips to make your brochure a winner.
Golf Swing Improvement The Fast Way
Golf swing improvement is a never ending goal for every golfer wanting to play better golf.
Website Advertising: 10 Dynamic Tactics To Super-Charge Your Sales
Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to
super-charge your sales, starting now:
Website Promotion: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Can Triple Sales
Website promotion is no longer easy to do.
Home Repair Improvement Advice
Home repair improvement plays a big role in the duties of owning a home.
Why Does Nobody Visit My Web Site?
Bring your forgotten website back to live with effective email marketing. How to work with autoresponders and email leads services...
Protect the Skin Youre In
Enjoy the Summer Sun without risking permanent damage. Here are some simple tips for all of your summer activities.
Eight Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor
You may like your financial advisor, but is he really looking out for you? All advisors are not created equal, and you have a right to know what makes them dif...
Be That Copywriter Everyone Wants to Work With
One of the most important aspects of copywriting is project management. When you're tight and together, you can deliver a perfect draft BEFORE the anticipated d...
Sell Anything To Anyone On The Internet With Hypnotic Writing
Writing any hypnotic patterns requires a basic knowledge how your prospects mind and internet marketing works. With 25 years in hypnotherapy and marketing this ...
Lamisil Side Effects Lawyer: Lamisil Tablet
While the recent Lamisil commercial featuring Digger, a disgusting cartoon fungus, is still fresh in our mind (who could forget the imagery of a toenail being p...
Pro Anorexia Websites Increase in Popularity
A commentary on the increase in popularity of pro anorexia websites.
Simple and Effective Solutions for Aquarium Algae
Eradication of encrusting algae could be done simply by periodically scraping the sides of the aquarium or scrubbing the rocks...
Whats Your Selling Sentence?
If you have a business, you need a selling sentence.
How to Manage Your People Well: Tips for Managers of Training
This article is a how to on managing trainers. It provides quick tips for survival and success in the training world. The guidelines will help to provide a nu...
Ten Tips to a Job Winning Interview
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it! 1. Investigate the company's culture, markets, ...
The Benefits of a Marketing Plan
Marketing is to do with matching the features and benefits that your products and services are able to provide with specific customers and then telling those cu...
Answering a Soul Call
Is life challenging you to take a bigger leap? Are you restless with the status quo of your daily routine? Do you feel you are flying blind with an invisible co...
Stress Causing People to “Super Size”
It is currently reported that two out of three adults is either overweight or obese, and the numbers continue to climb. As a result, statistics demonstrate tha...
Credit Report – How to Improve Your Credit Score
Your credit score can determine whether or not you'll get a necessary loan for a car or a home. Here some are ways you can improve a less-than-ideal credit sco...
The Oldest Concept in History
I find it funny that one of the oldest concepts in the world has become one of modern society's biggest irritants. The problem with this is that the concept has...
Internet Tip of the Week: The Power of Positive Thinking
The late Norman Vincent Peale was a controversial preacher who burst into public consciousness with his best-selling book, "The Power of Positive Thinking". He ...
Link Building Strategies
DON'T WAIT: Start building links today... Find out how!
|
Print this page