to market, to market
by linda brandt

When Julie invited me to write an article on marketing for WNC Woman, I was truly honored. This publication has so many “raving fans” that read every single article, cut them out, talk about the publication over lunch and can’t wait for the next one to come. I LOVE this magazine!

But enough about WNC Woman, this article is about marketing, right? I could tell you about my 20 years of corporate marketing experience in Manhattan, BORING! I could tell you about my 7 years consulting with local businesses, BORING! I could list the Top 20 Best Ideas of Marketing, but again, BORING! I keep thinking, what do the readers want in this special issue about Women in Business? I concluded that some good practical information with a little humor thrown in would be the right direction. So, here goes.

Often, I have found an actual example is the best way to truly bring across a good point so I will start with an incident that happened a few weeks ago while I was shopping for holiday presents. Now, remember, I have been in the marketing business for over 25 years and I am highly sensitive to sights, sounds, colors, sales people, store layout, traffic flow, and energy. Everything about a store tweaks my senses!

A few weeks ago, I visited a store downtown. When I walked in the door, the sales clerk sitting in the back behind the cashier register, was reading a book. She greeted me with the typical “Welcome to XYZ and let me know if you need any help” and immediately went back to reading her book. You can just guess how I felt? I immediately felt like I was an intrusion in her day and she could have cared less whether I bought something or not. Her greeting was more an automatic response to a warm body that walked in the door. My chocolate lab gives off more warmth!

I walked through the store and she didn’t once look up at me or say another word. Well, of course, I left and didn’t spend a penny. Plus I will probably never go back again. Remember, I was eager to spend money but the shopping experience was such a turnoff. I can almost guarantee that store will be out of business in less than a year. Just imagine the sale that store lost from me that day and compound it with a lifetime of lost sales since I will probably never go back.

Where am I heading with all this? It is all about the experience. You, as a business owner, control the customer’s experience from the moment they park their car in front of your store. Everything they see, hear, smell and touch creates an emotion—often within seconds. Every buying decision is based on emotion, whether the customer is aware of it or not. If that emotion is not positive, (sometimes, we are even looking for warm and fuzzy), they will shop elsewhere because there are just too many choices competing for their dollars.

Think about your own experiences when shopping. Make a list and write down details. What makes you go into a store? What makes you stay there long enough to view the merchandise, open your pocketbook, spend money and then go back in the future? It is a combination of several factors that make you feel good. Will you pay a premium for the experience? Absolutely! Will you continue to shop there in the future? Absolutely! It is this positive customer experience that is practiced everyday at local business such as Shelley’s Jewelry, B.B. Barns, Devco Homes and many, many more. These businesses continue to expand, thrive and prosper because they have learned the value of the customer experience. (Footnote: They also have quality products at a fair price.)

I challenge you to take a look at the experience your customers are having with your business. Consider hiring a mystery shopper firm who sends customers into your store and gives you valuable feedback on their experience. Keep in mind, this customer experience is so much more than a nice sales person. It is the experience that the customer has with every touch point of your business, every sound they hear, every color they see, every person they talk to, every piece of product they touch, every marketing piece they see, every process in closing the sale, and every process after the sale has been made.

Master the art of the positive customer experience and you are on your way to a thriving and not just surviving business enterprise. Remember, about the only thing you can control in the customer’s mind is their experience with your business.

Linda Brandt is owner of LB Marketing located in Arden, NC. She can be reached at 828/687-1456. For more insight into customer-focused marketing, attend her advanced marketing seminar at the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday Jan 25, 2005. Call Carol Hensley at 258-6116 to sign up.