Carole came down the stairs onto the sales floor just in time to hear the successful young real estate broker say thank you and good-bye as she walked out of the store. Carole approached her best salesperson, "Suzanne, that was Rachel Blackmoore who just left, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was. She's looking for earrings to wear with her beautiful new Valentino blouse, but she hasn't decided which color she want's to pick-up," Suzanne explained looking less than thrilled.
"Don't look so disappointed" Carole encouraged, "She's just about our ideal customer. You can't expect people to buy every time the come in."
"Oh, I know" Suzanne said, brightening a bit, "It's not that. It's just that she had on one of those gorgeous Harry Winston watches, and she didn't buy it from us.
"I complimented her on it, and she got really excited telling me she bought it on her last vacation. Tells me all about how fabulous the jeweler was; that they made it so much fun to shop there she and her friend went in three different days!
"I didn't remind her that we carry those watches too. I just don't know what they could be doing that we aren't. I mean, if one of our best customers seems to think it's more fun shopping somewhere else, I wonder what we need to do to keep her happy here?"
The idea that service is the competitive advantage of small, independent retailers is beginning to look like a myth.
