Commentary

Why retailers must be an authentic, trustworthy organization

Blogger Chip Bell offers up insight on why a retailer must become a trusted organization that treats customers like valued neighbors and finds ways to do unexpected favors for customers.

Photo by iStock.com

July 24, 2018 by Chip Bell — Customer Loyalty Consultant/Author, Chip Bell Group

I stopped by a roadside flea market in search of an antique typewriter. "Your license plate is falling off," the owner said with a smile as I was getting out of my car. I noticed the screw on the side of the plate was about to separate. Handing me a Phillips screwdriver from his pile of used tools, he said, "Tighten that bad boy back up again!" When I returned his screwdriver, he waved me away. "Just keep it, neighbor; I got plenty of them!" I thought, "How long has it been since a merchant I had never seen referred to me as a neighbor."

Our fast-paced, get-it-on-the-Internet has stripped out too much of the neighbor serving neighbor service experience. Mechanized trumps personalized. But when we receive a neighborly experience, it makes us feel special with a nostalgic sense of being home. It requires caring about the person, not just the customer's request. It includes an upbeat and infectious attitude. And, It means never letting customers get out of earshot still disappointed. It is the delightful byproduct of authenticity and kindness.

Betty's Country Store: A Place of Authenticity

Betty's Country Store is the talk of the town in Helen, Georgia, a quaint Alpine mountain village a few miles from my river house. It is homemade hospitality with a giant helping of authenticity. The antiques that adorn the walls, the smellof coffee brewing, and the background sounds of 1960s country songs reveal you have just entered a store that is part museum, part country fair, and part restaurant. The super friendly staff encourages all children-in-tow not to miss seeing the active beehive and honey-making operation just beyond the front door. For the adults, there is a large wine collection with selections from the many local wineries.

But, there is much more. Betty's has the largest collection of marbles in the region displayed in large washtubs — buy ‘em by the pound! From the quaint to the essential, every square inch of the place spells "genuine." And, should you be camping nearby, it is the store to buy gourmet coffee plus filters sold individually, not a whole package you don't need. The honest charm is the influence of owner-manager Darlene Broadway who bought the store in 1987. "When I get up in the morning," she told me, "I can't wait to get down here because every day is different from the next; a chance to help people remember, renew, and enjoy." Neighborly starts with realness.

Wade's Restaurant: A taste of kindness

You know you are nearing a unique restaurant when you start seeing quirky, fun-filled and hard-to-ignore billboards. Wade's in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was founded in 1947 and is the pinnacle of heartfelt Southern hospitality. Its home cooked meals (fried okra, sweet potato soufflé, creamed corn, etc.) are perfectly matched with the home-styled warm disposition of their staff. "Taste of Spartanburg" repeatedly picks Wade's as the Best Family Restaurant and the Best Bargain Restaurant.

Their kindness extends beyond the doors of a venue that serves 17,000 weekly guests (and 3,500 homemade yeast rolls a day!). Billboards tout their specialties blended with important community events. BEEThoven (with Ludwig as a red beet) celebrates the Spartanburg Philharmonic. "Ham" Radio shows a pig hyping the local Amateur Radio Club. And, there are the folksy celebrity billboard foodie tie-ins like Cluck Dynasty, Babe Root, SpiderHam, Abe LinCORN, George SQUASHington and the BEETles! Many of their billboards are the credited ideas of local kids!

The trusted organization is the one that treats customers like valued neighbors by putting more focus on nurturing the relationship than miserly squeezing every dollar out of every transaction. They find ways to do unexpected favors for customers. And just like a complimentary screwdriver at a flea market, it is the kind, authentic extras that grow loyalty and profits.