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Walking billboards

Are your customers talking?

We received a letter recently from the health insurance saleslady. The letter described the changes in our health and pharmacy policies for the new year. The letter had the traditional, “thank you for your business” component and then there was a line that is the basis for this month’s article.

It simply stated that she appreciated the referrals of new customers we had sent to her over the years. We have appreciated her attention to details and her asking questions so that we are making the right choices regarding both coverage and the monthly premiums.

As my wife has made more referrals than I have, I mentioned to her that she was a walking billboard for this business. And there have been other businesses that we have gladly shared with people when we receive attentive customer service. Within the past three years, this list of referrals has included a women’s clothing store, a garden center, and a kitchen supply store.

Just yesterday I saw a neighbor in their yard and approached to start a conversation. He had a project he needed done at his home and I was glad to recommend the person who did a similar task at our home.

Even other businesses can be walking billboards. One of our cars had an issue and the garage we traditionally take our cars to stated the necessary repair was beyond their scope of expertise. Without hesitation, there was a specialist they sent us to. They even followed up later with a call to see if the referral did a good job with repairing our car.

Perhaps the most unique experience one could have occurred in our store when a long-term customer walked in with another individual we did not recognize. Bob, the customer we knew, told us that he and his wife Verna were going to be moving back to their home state in the north. We were introduced to the person accompanying Bob as the individual who was going to purchase Bob’s home.

From our many years of experience with Bob as a customer, Bob felt obligated to take the time and bring this person to our business. Bob referred to this individual as, “my replacement customer”.

“I figured he was going to be coming in plenty of times so I thought I should come in with him and introduce him to the store and to the crew working in the store”.
I don’t know if there could be a higher compliment to a group of people working in a store and an owner than what Bob did.

It seems the current trend is for stores to have a reward program. When a customer makes a purchase, the first words they hear from an employee of the store are the cashier saying, “are you a member of our reward program?”.

If this is what is happening in your store, for two reasons you are not going to develop walking billboards for your business. The first reason is that the customer has nothing memorable to remember the business for. It is customer interaction that people remember. I have a friend that drives two hours because of an employee in the wine department. When I last visited with the friend, we had to make that two-hour trip because he wanted to show me the experience in shopping at this one store.

The second reason is that rewards programs have become so common in all types of businesses that the overwhelming majority (over 70%) of customers are saying they are tired of acquiring points to be exchanged for dollars off a future purchase. Do a bit of online searching and you will find premium rewards programs are what customers want today. Look at Amazon, Starbucks and Panera Bread; even Wal-Mart has a premium reward program. They are all examples of premium loyalty programs.

It is not happening in his stores today, but Sam Walton said, “I want you to take a pledge with me. I want you to promise that whenever you come within ten feet of a customer, you will look him in the eye, greet him, and ask him if you can help him”.

That effort could go a long way in a liquor store toward developing walking billboards.

Joseph Michelli, author of multiple New York Times bestselling books on the best customer experience businesses said it best; “Emotionally engaged customers don’t just stay; they advocate, they celebrate, they elevate your brand”.

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This article is copyrighted by Tom Shay and Profits Plus Solutions, who can be reached at: PO Box 128, Dardanelle, AR. 72834. Phone 727-823-7205. It may be printed for an individual to read, but not duplicated or distributed without expressed written consent of the copyright owner.