Mrs. Snider and the Bugles
One day while walking down the food aisle in Bell, I was confronted with a rather irritated customer. When I asked her what was wrong she told me that every time she came into my store to buy her favorite snack, ‘Bugles’, we were out of stock on the shelf. I apologized and told her I’d make sure they got re-ordered. I then mentioned to the associate who had that table to make sure they ordered some extra so we wouldn’t run out.
Well, a couple of weeks later, I’m walking down the same aisle and guess who’s standing there with that same irritated expression on her face…She pointed to the empty spot on the shelf where the ‘Bugles’ were supposed to be and said, “Remember the last conversation you and I had…I still don’t see any Bugles on the shelf!” At this point, feeling very embarrassed I apologized and asked her what her name was. She told me that her name was Mrs. Snider and she didn’t appreciate me telling her I would take care of the problem if I didn’t mean it.
I assured her that I did mean it, but I also stopped and thought what can I do to really “Wow” this customer who doesn’t reallythink I care?
“How about if I order you a full case of those Mrs. Snider and from now on whenever you get down to just a few boxes you call and let me know and I’ll have another case waiting for you with your name on it?”
She looked at me like I’d pulled a rabbit out of my hat. “You’ll do that for me?” “Absolutely Mrs. Snider, I want you to be satisfied every time you come into my store, so if there is ever anything you need in the future, just let me know and I’ll take care of it for you personally.”
From that day on, every time I saw Mrs. Snider in my store, she had a big smile on her face, but only if the ‘Bugles’ were in stock…I had to do my part to earn and keep her loyalty, otherwise I was just talking and didn’t really mean that she was important to me.
The Essential Lesson: If you are dealing with a DISSAPOINTED Customer, don’t just give them what they are asking for, give them much much more!
