Recently my son Caleb and I went to my local Canadian Tire Store, which is only a few blocks away from home.
Instead of going through the regular tills, I ventured out through the garden center to pay at the cashier there. I was greeted by a smiling fellow who told me his name was Sam.
"I know you from somewhere?" Sam said. I didn't say anything. "Are you a movie star?"
"Perhaps," I said as my son giggled beside me. "Perhaps we were in a movie together?"
"No, I wasn't in a movie, but I recognize you from one. Was it a comedy?" Sam asked.
At this point, I had paid for my purchase and I thought I had better leave before I disappointed Sam with the fact that I was just an ordinary customer.
As Caleb and I laughed our way back home, with the thought of me as a famous movie star, I realized that Sam had just made me want to come back to the store again, just to have another great experience like that. His ability to make a connection with me, the customer, had created a positive impression that would last a long time and be valuable for that business over time. Sam was genuinely interested in his customers and was a definite asset for that Canadian Tire outlet.
As business owners, we are often too caught up in our own little worlds to really engage with our customers, to create an experience like Sam created for my son Caleb and I. Sam in his curiosity about me the customer, had made me want to experience more of that business.
But think about it for a second, in a world that is filled with technology, texting, email and snapchats, our customers are craving real people, that human touch.
Speaking of touching our customers, did you know that a study from the University of Cornell Hotel Administration found that touching customers on either the shoulder or the hand led to an increase in tips of between 16 to 41 per cent?
If we want our customers to love us, we have to show genuine interest in them. We need to teach our staff how to do the same.
Twenty eight years of retail experience has taught me that many of my customers, between certain hours of the day, came in just to talk to someone. That they were lonely, and wanted to have a relationship with someone that day.
When we engage our customers in such a way that we show that we are interested in them, in their lives and who they are as people, we find that we are creating value for them that has really nothing to do with money.
Yes, its true that there are situations that are required to be based on the lowest prices. But what would happen in business if we really started to care about our customers? If our customers came to know that we cared about them? My guess is that our competitors would be out of luck.
If I had to choose between going to my local Canadian Tire or a competitor with the same product even at a lower price, and I thought that I could have an experience like the one I had with Sam each and every time, I would shop nowhere else. Price wouldn't matter. It wouldn't even be part of the equation.
As business leaders, we need to get it into our minds that despite the busyness of our day, the overwhelming amount of work we have, the stresses of running a business or managing people, that our customers count.
By engaging with customers in a meaningful, memorable way, that is enjoyable, fun and interesting, we will out do our competition. By teaching our staff, and training ourselves to be more like Sam - engaging, funny and personable - we come to understand that life itself becomes more rewarding, personally as well as financially.
Sam, might have laughed as hard as I did at the thought of me being a movie star. Perhaps he was just trying to add some spice to his day as well. But regardless, Sam knows how to be successful. Sam made my shopping experience memorable and isn't that what we all are searching for? Positive memories that we can share?
Dave Fuller, MBA, is a certified professional business coach and that author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. Dave has no formal training as a movie star, but helps business leaders become stars. Email [email protected]
