I just dropped my car off to the place I take it for service. I have 102,000 miles on my 10 year old Honda Civic and I'd like to get 102,000 more.
Taking my car in for service at this place always reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry "breaks up" with his mechanic David Putty (who happens to be dating Elaine). Putty is the one honest car repairman in the area and Jerry ends up patching up the little problem he has with him because a great car repairman is really irreplacable.
On the way home my husband, Lou, and I were talking about this episode, the importance of service and trust and it got me thinking...
Small businesses are always terrified when a big chain moves into the neighborhood but really they shouldn't be. People will naturally try the new place out but that's a great opportunity for a direct comparison. Here's some tips for how you can make sure they're going to come back to you.
Emphasize the humanity of the business. Celebrate that the owner is actively involved in the business. I love that I get to talk right to the owner of my repair shop. It doesn't always happen but I love it when it does. When customers have a problem or concern -- and even in the best place that will happen -- let them know the owner will hear about it. Have the owner call or write them in response.
Communicate with and educate the staff. Your brand comes alive through the actions of your staff. The brand lives or dies in the thousands of moments of truth each staffer has with your customers, prospects, and vendors. No matter how great your product or service is or how badly the community wants it, if it's not delivered brilliantly and seamlessly by your staff your business will fail. Let your staff know how important it is that they excel at their jobs. It keeps them employed and eating for one. Plus, it allows the business to do well and they benefit from that through wages and benefits. Provide ongoing training to help them grow professionally and personally.
Hire the best. We've all worked with rotten people in our lives and it just brings everyone -- and the business -- down. Since your brand is delivered by your staff, no decision is more important than who you bring on board to deliver on that promise you're making to the community. Know what skills the people must have when they start and what you're willing and able to train on. Soft skills like friendliness and empathy are almost impossible to teach. Read that sentence again. They are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to teach. Those are the skills someone's parents should have taught them! By the time they apply for a job their personality is deeply ingrained. They won't change unless incredibly motivated to do that. Yes, people do change...they just don't change very often. Invest the time, efffort, and money to make the best hiring decision in every position.
Provide the tools to do the job. Give people the equipment they need to do their jobs well. Listen to staffers' recommendations about what they need to perform and consider how you can give it to them. That doesn't mean you'll always do it, but have the conversation about their ideas and brainstorm ways to make it happen within budget.
Let them make mistakes. This is very scary but people learn more from making mistakes than from having successes. From the time we were kids and learned that if we touch something hot we'll burn ourselves to as we grow and make more mistakes, those are the best learning opportunities. When errors are made, help the person learn from them and get them involved in correcting it. Not only is this a great learning opportunity for them but it builds tremendous loyalty between the two of you.
There are lots of other things you can do to compete against the big guys and grow your brand. The average small business misses the opportunity that competition brings. Use competition to challenge yourself and your team to get better at what you do.
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