It’s unfortunate that we sometimes look at our customers as trying to take advantage of us.
Or as just one of an inexhaustible supply of people we can make money from; therefore we feel we don’t need to try too hard to connect individually.
There’s always another customer around the corner, we think. But that’s a quick way to kill our business.
We should instead be looking for personal connections, especially in a world where the Internet offers an alternative just a few clicks away.
I learned a lot about building Customer Loyalty from 2 businesses here in Hawaii. The first one is a shop my wife has been a fan of for some time.
She has a favorite store to go to for jewelry. She doesn’t have expensive tastes, she just likes to get something nice to wear every once in a while.
The store she always goes to, and which I went to with her yesterday, is Kamaaina Metals.
What impressed me is that the owner took time to show us his current stock, even though it was obvious that we probably weren’t going to buy that day.
He was truly interested in talking to us, even showing us some upscale rings that he obviously took pride in.
The man insisted that my wife try on one ring that was appraised to be worth much more than I make in a year – or three, just so she could say she’d worn something so expensive.
The man had a talent for making his customer feel special. It was like he wasn’t ‘selling’ at all.
And, believe me, my wife will be telling her friends about that ring. I don’t know if the store owner did it deliberately, but he set up a situation that will produce word-of-mouth marketing.
That ring gambit can’t fail. My wife will HAVE to talk about it.
Those of you who watch ‘Dog’ may know this store already. In one episode, a fugitive of Dog’s had promised to turn herself in at his office, but kept delaying her arrival.
He finally traced her to, you guessed it, Kamaaina Metals where she was selling her jewelry. You might recall that he tried to get the saleslady there to bring the fugitive to the phone. But the Dog connection doesn’t end there.
The owner told us that a few weeks later Leland and Duane Lee, Dog’s sons, showed up at his door with camera crew in tow.
They proceeded to shop for some time, leaving with a nice pile of bling.
The punch line is that these 2 tough bounty-huntin’ men walked right outside the store and held their hands up to the sun to admire their new rings, like women who’ve just been engaged.
Passers-by were amused to hear them exclaim about how the rings sparkled in the light(!).
The most amazing part of this tale is that Dog’s sons had gone to another jewelry store first and were told to take their business elsewhere.
That first store, whoever they were, threw away a great opportunity to promote themselves and sell some jewelry, too. A textbook case of creating enemies, rather than loyal customers out of 2 guys with money to spend.
But the main point here is that my wife loves the store. Not only because the prices are reasonable, sometimes even incredible, but also because of the service and the attitude of the owner.
He gives the customer the feeling that he has their interests at heart; there’s more concern in him for a long-term relationship than with getting a sale today.
I can tell you that he’s won a loyal customer in my wife. And me, for that matter. That is smart marketing.
Someday, very soon probably, my wife will drop those boulders she calls subtle hints about a ring she wants, or some earrings. My first thought will be – when can I get to Kamaaina Metals?
I’ll tell you about the 2nd business in the next post.