Is the age of 'more' and 'faster' replacing 'the customer is king'?

Is the age of 'more' and 'faster' replacing 'the customer is king'?
Tags: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Employee Training
October 11, 2011

I admit it. I am a lot older physically than I think I am mentally. As Dr. Evil said so eloquently to his newfound son in the Austin Powers movie, "I'm hip."

I'm trying to keep up with the digital age as best I can. I Facebook, I Tweet now and again, and even throw out a blog or two. The whole thing is moving quite fast.

I subscribe to quite a few blogs about retail and frankly it's interesting to see how many software developers and gadget makers there are bidding for the retailer's dollar. This is not merchandising, mind you, just things to turn on the customer and bring them into the store, or to be more efficient. Really? Not so sure.

Selling at retail will always be an emotional thing. New technology is devoid of this principle. Stripped down, it's still a human-to-human proposition. This of course doesn't include the Internet, which is kicking our butts back to the Stone Age.

It seems the big retailers announce a new tactic every day to entice us into buying. In one case it's a virtual dressing room. In another it's an app for your phone. Mind-boggling indeed. But I have a few questions. And I have these questions because I have never had a friend or client tell me that they want any of it.

What about the fundamentals? The basics. Laws or rules on running a fine retail store. A fine retail store to me can be any category, just run exceedingly well.

Are you moving so fast that you don't take the time to see if your staff can, and more importantly, wants to execute some of the fundamentals that made you famous — or can make you famous? Probably not.

Now I'm not being a grouch, but I think there's a compromise to be made here. Bring all the cool things on. I can take it. Show me the fanciest ways of doing things. I will survive. But once in a while, look me in the eyes and relate to me for just a second or two. Make me believe that I am important to some degree. You know, "customer is king" kind of thing.

I believe that things are moving fast but not just because technology is moving so fast. In many ways, everything has always moved fast for its time. We've become a society of give me more and give it to me faster. Quantity is bypassing quality in too many corners of our lives.

At home I subscribe to DirecTV. When I originally subscribed, I kind of knew I wanted choices. So in typical Harry fashion I ordered it all. Something like 200 channels. So what happens? I watch the news because — there's nothing on. It's kind of symbolic of what's happening out there.

One of my favorite books, "Coney Island of Your Mind," by Laurence Ferlinghetti, has a poem that ends with... "and up jumps the mortician." We keep burying our friends. Just read the paper. Retailer after retailer dying slow or even swift deaths. The autopsies confirm that they all had "boring" in their systems. None of them had looked customers in the eyes. None of them really remembered to make the customer king. Maybe that's a fundamental to keep in mind. I would hate to see you go, friend.

Reader Comments

Jeff Frank

about 7 months ago

So how do you reverse this trend?

Take a look at Simplicity Sofas, a small furniture manufacturer selling direct to consumers, who opened their factory (but not yet made their first sale) when President Bush announced 3 weeks later that the country was officially in recession.

While the rest of the furniture industry became one of the hardest-hit sectors of the American economy (particularly small businesses), Simplicity Sofas concentrated on a marketing strategy of providing extraordinary customer service and word of mouth marketing. 2 1/2 years after opening, still in the midst of the recession, the company hit its first $100,000 month.

That figure may not seem significant compared to overall furniture industry sales but it was achieved one consumer at a time. The company is a manufacturer who does not sell to retailers, wholesalers or distributors and does not have company-owned retail stores (except for one factory outlet location which accounts for less than 5% of overall sales.)

Simplicity Sofas' marketing strategy is primarily based on providing a level of customer service and personal attention that goes far beyond "good old fashioned" customer service techniques of the past. It does not entice new customers by offering big "sales." Instead it concentrates on providing a level of service that is so intense that those customers who do buy become part of an active and growing marketing force who not only returns to buy again but actively recruits everyone they know to do the same.

One of the most commonly asked questions by prospective new customers is where they can go to see, feel and sit on the furniture before they purchase. (Terms are 100% up front by credit card and the typical sale is $1000 - $4000.) In response Simplicity Sofas turns to its former customers, and asks them to host these new prospects to show off the furniture they bought previously and to talk about their experience in dealing with the company. The result is a closing rate of over 50% for those who first viewed the furniture in another customer's home. Simplicity Sofas offers the host $50 as compensation for their time and trouble (or a $100 gift certificate against future purchases) but most hosts say they are happy to help out without being paid.

For more information on how this marketing strategy works see http://www.mo.com/jeff-frank-simplicity-sofas. This is an interview with the owner of Simplicity Sofas explaining his concept of customer service as a “revenue-generating profit center" rather than a "cost of doing business."