Do You Want My Business?
I went to my neighbourhood Rogers Video with the mission to rent the movie “127 Hours.” As I was walking around the store, I could not find a copy anywhere.
I proceeded to approach the front desk and ask one of the two sales staff if they had a copy in stock. I was told they didn’t. Then I requested that they put one on hold for me when it arrived and give me a call. According to policy, this was not possible. I was welcome to call them or come back to the store. At that point I asked for their phone number and the sales guy reticently handed me a business card and gave me the clear impression that there was no guarantee that I would get a copy.
As I was leaving the video store, I called my friend to share with her my disappointment, at which point she told me she could simply order it on demand from her local cable provider. Perfect. Rogers lost the opportunity to have my business. I would have returned to the store and picked up a copy of “127 Hours” if they had simply offered to call me and tell me that I would be able to get the movie for that evening.
Roger Video needs to think differently about its approach. Video stores are folding because people can now borrow DVDs from their local library, order through Netflix or on demand through their cable provider. We live in a society where people do not want to have to work to get your business, nor should they want to.
How are you making it easy for your customers and prospects to pull out their wallet?
Very well put Jen — I couldn’t have said it better myself 🙂
As a consumer, I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have to WORK to pay a business money. When I lived in Vancouver, this seemed to be a chronic problem. And I thought I was the only one who thought this way, but now I see that I’m not!
Personally, I think there is a disconnect between what business owners want and what their staff are doing… I think it revolves around the concept of commitment.
I am a very committed person, and I therefore see a great opportunity as a sole proprietor to provide world class service 🙂
Keep the great articles coming!
~Dave
Dave, I have to agree with you. I think the biggest challenge for owners to get their employees to buy into be part of the company in such a way that they really want to make the customer experience worthwhile. WestJet does this well because their employees have shares in the company with gives them a mutual pride and ownership. They are then, motivated to give back.