The Retailer’s View

Loyalty is when people say, “I trust you, and that’s why I’m here.” Every time you don’t deliver, that’s a little ding on the trust meter.

When customers walk in, our goal isn’t just to sell. It’s to inform and excite. So I’m not going to tell customers what they want to hear. I’m going to tell them what they need to know. And then I deliver on my promise, whatever that is. Deliver on the due date. Call them when you say you will. It’s basic stuff, but it’s easy to underestimate the importance of it, because there can’t be loyalty without trust.

Loyalty is when people say, “I trust you, and that’s why I’m here.” Every time you don’t deliver, that’s a little ding on the trust meter.

For example, we decided, on all repairs, to offer delivery. That’s one way we go above and beyond. And we do so much service. That’s been the backbone of our business. Repair is more complicated than a sale, but if you do it well, customers notice. In sales, we offer free appraisals, and we send thank you notes for all sales and repairs.

The beginning and the end of it is connecting on a personal level. You entertain clients and take clients out to dinner, go golfing. We send them gift certificates for referrals and thank them for referring. And we have very little turnover on our sales staff, so customers are seeing the same people.

Image: Robert F. Moeller II. (https://rfmoeller.com/about/)