Editor’s Note: Choose a Path

Published

10 years ago

January 20, 2015

Is it better to demand to be paid for every minute, or should you bet on a fuzzy future return?

BY DAVID SQUIRES

This article originally appeared in the February 2015 edition of INSTORE.

What kind of retailer are you? It’s a question you should ask yourself every few years.

You read one set of business books that advocate going the extra mile for your customers — with titles like Wow Your Customers!, Raving Fans and Knock Your Socks Off Service. (How far can they go with this aggressive titling? Will we someday see a business book with the title Create Frothing-at-the-Mouth, Offering-To-Bear-Your-Children Customers … For All Eternity!) Then you come across a different set of business books with titles like It’s Time to Make Money, Up Against the Wal-Marts, and Profit First. These emphasize doing your job well, but making sure you get paid for Every Second of your time.

So what do you do? Whose star do you follow? That answer can only come from you. But our advice is: Whatever you decide to do, do it all-out, with total commitment. If you emphasize service and nurturing long-term “raving customers,” then do the small stuff with a gigantic smile on your face and keep your hands in your pockets when the job is done. You’re betting customers will be so impressed, they will return again and again. And if you do your job well enough, they will. On the other hand, if you emphasize making money for your labor, then make sure you really get paid. Don’t charge $3.99 for a watch battery replacement because that’s what Walmart charges. You won’t make money, and you’re not gonna impress customers either.

Make a choice. Then go all-out. It’s the right path to follow.

Wishing you the very best business,

Retiring? Let Wilkerson Do the Heavy Lifting

Retirement can be a great part of life. As Nanji Singadia puts it, “I want to retire and enjoy my life. I’m 78 now and I just want to take a break.” That said, Nanji decided that the best way to move ahead was to contact the experts at Wilkerson. He chose them because he knew that closing a store is a heavy lift. To maximize sales and move on to the next, best chapter of his life, he called Wilkerson—but not before asking his industry friends for their opinion. He found that Wilkerson was the company most recommended and says their professionalism, experience and the homework they did before the launch all helped to make his going out of business sale a success. “Wilkerson were working on the sale a month it took place,” he says. “They did a great job.”