by Kent Covington
1. KNOW THEIR NAME: With rare exception, customers will not be remembered and greeted by name at the megastores. As the old Cheers theme song reminded us “You want to go where everybody knows your name”. Make a point to learn and remember your customers’ names. Your customer will be delighted the first time he’s greeted with a friendly “Hey Rodger!”(unless of course his name is John)!
2. FAST, ACCESSIBLE SERVICE: You can spend an eternity trying to find someone to help you in the aisles of the local home improvement megastore. You can get a leg up on the big boys by making sure you always staff enough counter help to ensure fast, personal service.
3. GO THE EXTRA YARD: Forget the extra MILE, you would be lucky at a megastore to find anyone willing to go a few extra feet to serve you better. What can you do to serve your customers beyond what they expect? Sometimes, one act of kindness will change everything. Driving across town to deliver a single part may cost you more than the profit you made on the part, but it’s just that sort of action that will generate a loyalty worth thousands! And you can be sure they won’t get that kind of service at the megastores.
4. PROMPT TELEPHONE CUSTOMER SERVICE: As I type this, I am on hold with a local Home Depot store. I called just to see how long I would have to wait to talk to a person. Let me just say… it’s not pretty. Don’t keep your customers holding any longer than you have to, and DO keep your on-hold marketing fresh, and you’ll easily outshine the megastores on the telephone.
5. 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE: If you don’t offer this benefit, consider doing so. Even if you don’t see a great deal of direct profit in this service, just knowing that you would come out after hours will make all the difference and set you apart from the competition. Use your On-Hold marketing program to help get the word out.
6. CERTIFICATION SEMINARS: Lowe’s and Home Depot have do-it-yourself seminars, but they don’t offer service certification training. There’s a good chance you’re already offering this. If not, why not?
7. CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS: Make the very most of these events. Try different things and don’t be afraid to experiment. Keep working to improve these events, because it’s one more personal touch the megastores don’t offer.
8. ADVICE: Hire knowledgeable people and train them well, but don’t stop there. Make sure they enjoy sharing it. If your staff has a great deal of knowledge, but they don’t share it or customers have to pry it out of them, it won’t do much good. A person your customer can turn to for answers is worth a lot. Good luck finding expert advice at the megastores.
9. FREE DELIVERY: Home Depot and Lowe’s charge for delivery. So if there’s any way you can possibly afford to offer free delivery to your customers… you should. Of course there must be limits. You can’t drive across the state to deliver a $5 part every day. But be as generous in your delivery policies as you can afford to be, because free delivery will go a long way toward setting your store apart from the big-box guys.
10. LOCAL REWARDS: What other types of businesses do your clients patronize? Can you work together with any of those businesses to offer discounts to one another’s clients? Or how about an arrangement with a locally owned steakhouse? You could solidify loyalty with your most valuable clients by surprising them with a gift certificate for a steak dinner. The Megastores don’t have your local connections. Make the most of them.
