Tip # 451 - Sweat the Small Stuff
Dear Tip of the Weeker,
In 1996 Richard Carlson wrote the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" - it went on to become a big bestseller and cultural catchphrase.
Certainly, it's a good idea let go of some of the things that stress you out - the hot pink hair your teen daughter came home with (hair grows), or the ding in the car door (cars get fixed).
But when it comes to how you serve your customers, I'm not sure he was right.
Susan's shopping experience last weekend is a great case in point...
I had just finished paying for my jeans at Nordstrom's when the unexpected happened.
The sales associate, instead of hoisting my bag up onto the counter and pushing it into my hands, walked around the counter to face me and held out the bag for me to take.
The same thing happened each time I made a purchase at Nordstrom's. They had obviously trained all their employees to walk around from behind the counter and offer the bag instead of shoving it across at the customer.
Such a small thing.
But boy, did it feel different. And good. It felt really good.
Which started me thinking about all the other small things I love when I'm the customer... like being asked if I want room for milk in my coffee or having a pretty ribbon tied on my shopping bag or getting a candy corn in the bottom of my ice cream cone to stop the drips.
I think it's important as independent retailers that we DO sweat the small stuff. It's the small stuff that makes us special, makes us stand out, makes our customers really happy.
Often, the customer doesn't even know what little things would make their shopping experience a delight. I certainly didn't know that having the sales associate walk around the counter would be so nice.
It's up to you and your staff to dream up those unexpected delights for your customer. Train your team to do it every time, for every customer and pretty soon you'll have a store full of raving fans who wouldn't go anywhere else.
Yep. You've gotta sweat the small stuff!
