C Providing Information on Businesses in Established Fields
Those of you who are in well-established fields—anything from a grocery or bakery to a television repair shop or retail clothing store—normally need not be concerned with communicating the basics of what you do. You are fortunate because the public has a pretty good knowledge of your type of business. If you show a group of strangers your business card, you can expect the great majority of them will generally understand your business and know at least some of the reasons why they need you. Obviously, however, these people won't know what special services and extras you offer, such as the women's clothing shop that does minor alterations at no extra charge, the grocery store that delivers, the laundromat that serves free coffee, the used auto parts company that delivers to commercial accounts, the bakery that accepts phone orders for specialty cakes and so on. To fully enlist the positive energy of your friends and acquaintances, you must give them something to talk about. Your job is to make sure they are aware of the things that set you apart.
A business Michael consulted with, Joseph's Sewer Rooter of Los Angeles, has been in business more than a decade and makes service calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Joseph's problem is convincing a skeptical public that it really does provide such exceptional service. Skeptical customers are like amateurs; they know enough to doubt. Michael suggested that they develop five humorous stories about service calls made at odd hours and recount them on radio talk shows and at real estate luncheons, chamber of commerce meetings and similar occasions. The real message of the stories, of course, is that Joseph's really does make house calls at any hour; that message will come through the humor of the stories.
It's not too difficult to figure out what a bed store might offer, but the Berkeley Design Shop offers a whole lot more than the usual mattresses and box springs. Michael Lavin, the owner, is in the business of selling a good night's sleep. He has done extensive research during his 25 years in the business on how to make a comfortable mattress and is extremely knowledgeable. Lavin usually spends an hour and sometimes two with a customer as they try out different mattresses and learn about what goes into a comfortable night's sleep. As part of his initial research he gave away beds to physical therapists in exchange for their feedback. He also had them come into the store two nights a week for a year to answer customers' questions. And later Lavin installed a pressure-mapping computer that greatly facilitates a custom match between mattress and customer. As you lie on the bed, Lavin receives an instant readout on the monitor indicating your particular pressure points.
When you leave the Berkeley Design Shop you are a truly educated customer, and after a night's sleep on your new mattress will probably tell all of your friends.
To take another example, almost everyone has some idea of what a bail bondsman does. Just the same, a bondsman who provides better service can do a lot to gain
2 YOU CAN'T GET COMFORTABLE
Comfort is closely related to pressure distribution. If your mattress yields too much, not enough, or unevenly, pressure imbalance can cause your sleeping posture to become unnatural. You contort your body— twisting spine, waist, shoulders, hips or legs-trying to find relief.
Every body shift causes a mini-awakening. Whether you remember them or not, these awakenings disturb the sleep cycle and contribute to morning fatigue.
In addition, you may be plagued by lower back ache or stiff shoulders and neck because your bed was not able to provide a comfortable, natural body alignment during the night.
Spine-aligned comfort
In addition, you may be plagued by lower back ache or stiff shoulders and neck because your bed was not able to provide a comfortable, natural body alignment during the night.
Spine-aligned comfort
- The European Sleep Works at the Berkeley Design Shop carries exclusively 100% natural latex foam rubber mattresses, which offer the greatest comfort and natural body alignment we have found. We also dual-adjust mattresses for couples, to provide a comfortable night's sleep for each person.
the business, if not the affection, of potential customers. A bondsman who accepts collect calls, takes personal checks or jewelry in an emergency, is open 24 hours and has a radio dispatched car and national service should emphasize these facts.
A bank is another business that doesn't need to be explained to potential customers. So, rather than bore people with explanations of check cashing services or safe deposit boxes, a wise banker will emphasize unique services. Take, for example, the National Bank of the Redwoods, headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. This locally owned bank specializes in providing services to small businesspersons and tells customers that its commitment is "to bring the bank to you." For example, bank personnel often go to the borrower's place of business by appointment. In addition, the bank underwrites a messenger/courier service to deliver paperwork and pick up deposits and other important documents, making banking less time-consuming. To make changing from other banks easier, NBR sends out an account executive to work with the business's accounting personnel. This includes helping them with the forms, endorsement stamps and other paperwork needed to complete the switch.
When the woman in charge of New Accounts was asked how the National Bank of the Redwoods (NBR) informs customers of these services, she commented: "I sit down with every new customer and assess their needs, suggesting services that seem appropriate for them. In addition, I give them pamphlets that explain our services and charges. Of course, we are continually working on new services such as online banking, having grown from our original, innovative electronic banking which required a different approach. In the first case, we formed a focus group of customers and did role-playing exercises to help figure out what customers might require. We then devised a questionnaire that we sent to 170 customers. From their feedback, we now have ten questions we can ask potential customers to help them decide if this is a useful service. We use those questions for our online banking product, phoning customers we think might be interested in online banking and offering to go to their place of business to give them a demonstration."
Salli banks at the Sebastopol branch of NBR and notes that in addition to offering personalized service to the small businessperson, the bank employees make the trip to the bank a pleasurable experience. Unlike many austere banking institutions where the tellers and bank managers treat their customers impersonally, the staff is cheerful, friendly and genuinely helpful. They even provide dog biscuits and, on the last Friday of the month, cookies for humans.
There are many ways an established business can inform customers about these kinds of extra services. For example, the 711 convenience store chain brilliantly chose a name that told its customers that it was open earlier and later than traditional grocery stores. More typical methods include flyers sent out to your mailing list
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