LITTLE THINGS CAN MEAN A LOT TO CUSTOMERS
KC Small Business Monthly
(April 2008)
By John Landsberg
To most people, it probably was not a big thing. Even I realize that in the grand scheme of things it was not a big thing.
The expensive restaurant I visited recently did not have Splenda! (I warned you it wasn�t a big thing.) It had regular sugar packets, the pink ones and even the blue ones. But no Splenda.
Did it cause me to go through withdrawal? No. Was it even something I felt strongly enough to ask the waitress about? No. Will anyone get up and leave because of it? Probably not.
I asked my loving wife if she noticed there was no Splenda at the restaurant. She said she noticed, but wasn�t going to lose sleep over it.
However, it did send a tiny signal to me: �This place is charging top dollar for its food, but is trying to save a few pennies by not having Splenda on the tables for customers.�
Sure it is a minor issue, but McDonald�s knows its customers want Splenda and it always has it available. And McDonald�s isn�t charging more than $10 for a sandwich. Far from it.
My friend Rick Nobles is a recognized brand expert. In fact, to me he is THE brand expert, and I ask him to speak to my college marketing classes whenever possible.
One message that Rick stresses in every talk is that �Brands are sponges for content, for images, for fleeting feelings. They are concepts held in the mind of the public, where they may stay forever.�
The Splenda issue probably falls under the �fleeting feelings� part of things. But,it is just another thing that impacts how a person feels about that restaurant�s brand. It says they are cheap. And if they are cutting costs with sugar, one can only imagine how they are cutting costs in areas customers cannot see.
One of the great differences between success and failure of small businesses is the importance they place on the little things. If I want low prices and no service I can always just go to a big chain store.
As an example, I recently received a flyer in the mail from a major hardware chain featuring a smoke detector they featured on sale. When I went to the store they were sold out. The clerk said they would get more in a few days.
I returned to the store a few days later and was told the shipment of smoke detectors did not arrive. No explanation. The clerk said that they would probably receive another shipment in a few days and I should call them before making another trip.
The third time might be a charm in some circles, but I wasn�t going to call them to find out if the shipment ever arrived. After two futile trips to their store don�t you think they could have called ME when the smoke alarms arrived? I purchased the item elsewhere.
On the other hand, when I was interested in buying a weed trimmer last summer I stumbled on Maisch Small Engine Repair in Lenexa. Not only did the owner actually explain the features and benefits of the trimmer compared to other trimmers, but he even put gas in it, started and demonstrated how it works.
I was stunned. I went back two weeks later and purchased a blower. And I will buy my next mower there. Were they the cheapest? Not really. They just made it easy to buy from them and have a loyal customer.
The only way a small business can really excel and thrive is to do the little things for customers. Let�s face it, virtually everyone does the big things correctly. We are all expected to do the big things fairly well.
It�s the little things that make a business stand out from its competition. When was the last time a big chain sent you a simple �Thanks for your business note?� When was the last time a mega-store called you to find out if you are satisfied with a recent product you purchased? How about never!
When a client is featured in the newspaper do you send them a clip to congratulate them? It only takes a few minutes. Charles Stumpf of Financial Associates does it almost automatically and his business has grown by leaps and bounds.
Stop and think about what �little� things you can do for your customers that others will not, cannot or don�t want to bother to do for them. Those are the things that will make you stand out in the mind of your customer. A loyal customer is priceless.
When all is said and done, there really are no small things you can do for customers.
