You've likely heard the old expression "You are judged by the company you keep." I recently heard a new one that takes that line of thinking a whole lot further. It went something like this:
"You become the average of the people you
associate with most often."
You have to admit, it's an interesting concept, even if you think it only partially true. But what's all this got to do with sales and service quality? Well, it may actually go a long way to explaining how we as individuals, could raise the bar on the customer experience significantly, perhaps even on a country, or world-wide basis.
What if we all decided to only associate (do business) with those who provide a great customer experience?
My bet is that over time, a number of things would happen:
1) by association, our own service delivery would improve (not a bad outcome in its own right)
2) by rewarding those who provide the type of customer experience we all want, we would encourage more of the same
3) by not rewarding those that don't provide great service, we would be helping them see the error of their ways (they would either get the hint, or go out of business)
I appreciate this approach may initially cause us all a little inconvenience, especially as great customer experiences are hard to find, but if enough of us did it, wouldn't the gains be more than worth the effort?
So next time you are out doing a little shopping and you run across poor service, do yourself, your country, and maybe even the world a favor.
Just walk away!
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While I like the concept and see your logic, in my experience, boycotting poor service is far easier said than done. In many cases the poor service comes at the checkout after I've already spent too much time and effort to want to walk away. In others, one provider is often just as bad as the next and what is the point of moving from one bad experience to another.
ReplyDeleteMy solution is a little different. When I get poor service, I politely ask for the manager's or owner's name. Then I simply gather up my purchase and leave, confident that my question will at least cause some concern.
Excellent post and blog Jim. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJim - great work, enjoyed reading your blog!! You are so right when you talk about how important service is - and in this changing world many businesses will have to rethink their lack of service if they are to survive!!
ReplyDeleteJim
ReplyDeleteWe operate a small retail business specializing in supportive footwear, orthotics and other foot health products. In our business, we have concluded that the "In Store Experience" is what sets us apart from other stores. There are many other outlets that sell products such as ours so the only way we can differentiate ourselves is by the way we deal with our clients. Ours is very much a relationship business, and having been at this for over 7 years, we are thankful that even during difficult times such as the past 6 months, the relationships we enjoy with our loyal clients continues to serve us well. The concepts outlined in your blog are right on, Jim. Keep up the good work.
You are clearly onto something here, JIm...if you keep saying it eventually everyone will catch onto you!
ReplyDelete