In business, it’s often the little things that have the biggest impact. I was thinking about this yesterday, when a shop assistant greeted me, using my name.
Good morning Jim
As we made eye contact, she welcomed me by saying, “Good morning Jim”. I don’t use the shop that often and was impressed that she remembered me. It started a whole conversation, which would not have happened had she not used my name. The conversation had little to do with shopping but had everything to do with building a relationship with me.
- It humanised my shopping experience. Business is always about people.
- It provided me with something I can’t get online. (This is really important for high street retailers).
- It opened a channel of comfortable dialogue. In other words, the shop assistant was able to learn a little about me and my needs, but in an effortless, non-pushy way.
All this started, with something as simple as remembering a customer’s name. Just 3 small words, which transformed my customer experience.
Yes, some of the things needed for business success require us to make significant changes or improvements. However, it’s the simple things, repeated frequently, that have the biggest impact.