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JACK MEETS...... a deafening silence
Month by month, for very many more months than he cares to count, Jack Lynes has been reporting on personalities in the trade and their successes and problems, their products and thoughts. But his reports have usually been accompanied by his own thoughts which have come about as a result of his meetings.
Feedback from those he has profiled has been positive and appreciative. Some of his articles have been reproduced and may be found in publicity blurbs and on the net. This month his attempt to talk to one retailer was frustrated but rather than admit defeat he has used the situation to share some thoughts and offer, from the silence, some ‘sound' advice. He writes...
I will not mention him by name or reveal the name of his shops. Suffice to say that a letter, three emails, and two telephone calls did not, apparently, seem worthy of any response. Of course, from time to time, and fortunately not very often, my invitation to an Agent, a Representative, a Retailer, a Distributor, or a Manufacturer, is turned down. This is perfectly acceptable, as are the requests that I receive from those who would like to be a ‘victim' of my curiosity and questioning. What is disturbing, however, is to be ignored. In this particular instance I decided to investigate online to see if my treatment was reflected in the way that customers might be who either visited the firm's premises (one outlet in London and the other close to a Royal residence) . I will tell you my findings a little later.
"This is your bank here", I heard, when I answered the phone the other day. "Oh dear!" I replied, "What have I done now?" wondering if I had inadvertently become overdrawn, or worse that I have been a victim of identity fraud. I was quickly reassured. It was simply a courtesy call to apologise for keeping me waiting at the counter two days previously. I explained that I had not complained and that apart from getting a parking ticket which was entirely my fault, I was perfectly happy with the service. The customer relations manager who was making the call explained that the counter clerk had reported that my wait had been longer than usual, hence the phone call. Now that was really refreshing and any thoughts that I might have had about looking for a better bank deal were quickly set aside. And I recalled the time that the garage who had come to my rescue just as they were closing, and effected a minor repair, had phoned the flowing day to make sure that I was happy and that all was well. That garage has since sold me two cars and performed many services for me. I do not know if they are the cheapest but I do know that they care because they still phone after every service. Their calls have been rewarded by sales and service to several friends too, and so have paid dividends.
My own sports shop also recognised the worth of not simply serving well but also showing the customer that you cared. Admittedly the replies to our follow ups after racket stringing always gave a good clue as to whether the player had won or lost, but it was appreciated as was keeping in touch with teams who had purchased kit, and cricketers their bats. Good will did not come by chance. It is perhaps the number one weapon for the independent retailer. So much for a few possible initiatives that the retailer can take, or as the text books would have it, the pro-active approach. But there is also the re-active stance and here there are countless opportunities to do it the right way and many pitfalls to avoid. After the shop window has attracted the customer in the way that he or she is approached is of the utmost importance. Whether the shop floor is deserted, busy or otherwise, just as with people, first impressions count. Somehow he must feel welcome. Selfridges is reputed to have had a ‘welcomer' at the door when it first opened, and many large stores still use them. But it is the greeting that matters and will have to be adjusted to the person being greeted. How one welcomes a couple of likely lads will be very different from the burly bouncer. Forgive me if I reiterate the advice never to ask "Can I help you?", which is still prevalent far too often. How on earth does the potential customer know if you can help? The golden rule is to only ask a question which cannot be answered simply with a ‘yes' or a ‘no'. The question most likely to succeed is the one that seeks to find out what is being looked for. If you have it, all well and good but if you do not, it is often possible to offer an alternative. There is no substitute for product knowledge and I maintain that more sales are lost when it is lacking than through price problems. I hope that you noticed my deliberate omission in that last sentence. After the word ‘knowledge' add ‘displayed' which suggests actually giving the information and wherever practical, showing the item and getting it into the potential buyer's hand. Or, in the case of footwear, on to their feet.
Responding to the ring of the phone also presents opportunities to impress. To impress well or to give a poor impression. The name of the firm with a smile in the voice is the welcome that can be the aperitif to some excellent sales. Answering the phone is so often a duty accorded to the newest member of staff, or maybe the Saturday boy or girl . Well, that's OK if, and regrettably this is often not the case, some initial training is given. It really can make a difference and it is worth remembering that your number is likely to a list of several others, and you want to be the winner. My second call to the firm which set me off on this month's ramblings, was answered by someone who said that ‘Mr X would call me back if he was interested'. As I had already written one letter with a first class stamp, sent two emails and made one phone call already, and was, I confess, just a little peeved by then, I suggested that a call back would be welcomed even if he was not interested. But answer there came none. The lesson is obvious. Hanging on can be a real pain too so a speedy reply might be the link between ringing bells and ringing tills.
There is nothing better than personal recommendation and whereas this has traditionally been by word of mouth, perhaps at the pool, on the court, or in the gym, there is now another very forceful way in which to spread both good news and bad. Check a holiday hotel on the net and you will usually find not simply a star rating but a list of comments ranging from ‘Never again' to ‘Can't wait to come back'. It was with this in mind that I ventured into Google, to check out my shy would-have-been subject for this ‘ Jack meets...' to find out at least how they fared on the net both from a presentational aspect and reputation-wise, if that was possible. As to the former, I can only offer praise and would commend their site beyond doubt. Their home page describes them as the number one UK sports specialists: quite a claim you may think and possibly one that others might question. On the same page they pride themselves on their first-class service and the fun and relaxing atmosphere that their staff provide. They are, apparently, the official retailer of a couple of major triathlons. The more I read, the more my disappointment on not being able to present to you my own findings and observations. The headline introducing Lights and Lightsets, referring to their January Sale, ‘Be seen not heard' was, in the circumstances somewhat telling. The company apparently use ‘state of the art Card Encryption enabling 100% security'. Mr X was certainly well encrypted during my thwarted attempts to speak to him. Their online prices, they say, are cheaper than in store, where a 10% surcharge may apply to cover the costs of their ‘high street store overheads'. They do, however, encourage their customers to visit the shops in person where they ‘may benefit from first hand advice from our colleagues'. The blurb continues that their shop staff are chosen for their willingness to go the extra mile. And now it was time to see some comments and to share just some extracts from a random few with you. It would seem that I am not alone in suffering a communication problem.
Has anyone else suffered with the rubbish service you get from........... Used 'em twice and both times took forever (4 weeks) for delivery and they don't answer any emails AAAAAARGH!!!!!!
Offline I ordered a new tri suit months ahead of the London Tri and never got it, eventually got a refund, poor communication, would never use them again.
And finally one with some hope which reads "offline I've had a bad experience with ......and e-mailed ........ direct from this thread. Very apologetic and is getting it sorted, nice guy and he said to me - if he doesn't know there's a problem he can't do anything about it...
Well, lets give the guy the benefit of the doubt. My letter never reached him. My emails were put into spam so were never read. Nobody told him that I had phoned and he would actually have loved to be featured in a ‘Jack meets...' We will arrange for the online edition containing this article to be transmitted to him and I will make sure that he receives a hard copy too. I have a sneaking suspicion that he does really run a great outfit, that the firm is swimmingly successful, and that a cycle of events about which he had no previous knowledge has kept him from being in contact. It is amazing how much information, advice, comment and enlightenment (I hope) can result from such a deafening silence.
Jack welcomes your comments and is always glad to discuss your ideas, problems and concerns, either person to person, or in print.
If there is anyone you would like him to meet or any product to write about please contact The Editor or Jack (writeawayjack@aol.com).
His articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers and are not ‘advertorials'. They are not seen prior to publication by any person or firm to whom they may refer.
