There are lessons to be
learned from the big guys

When Joan Salb, a national marketing strategist, told me that "May I akx your name?" was the introduction a consumer had to a prestigious New York bank, my vision was of a company — not too unusual — not paying attention to available lessons of good business.

    Having a front-line person ask that otherwise friendly question in this grammar-killing manner would embarrass any responsible retailer, yet it denotes a common pitfall: underestimating the need for, the amount and monitoring of personnel training needed to reach out effectively to the consumer.

    Denny's, where a staffer always says, "Be with you in a minute," or Clothestime, where the sales help call out a greeting the instant a customer walks in the door, are providing that immediate acknowledgment that says "welcome." Their subliminal message: We value you. At Robinsons-May, using your credit card will get you a warm acknowledgment as personnel are trained to scan the name and say, "Thank you, Mrs. So-and-So." Voila: You’re special.

    Remember that front-line person. All importantly, the way he or she encounters your customer encourages the sale of the moment, ensures a comfortable return to your business and makes the difficulties of a long wait or a problematical transaction much more palatable.

    Salb, a columnist for Retail Ad Week and the author of "Retail Image and Graphic Identity," offers additional points:

•     Study the market and identify your niche. "From the Victoria's Secret customer to the traveler seeking seats on a plane to yuppies who buy cellular phones, all retailers face the same marketing challenges: How to define themselves and identify their niche; how to quantify and qualify the market they wish to reach —and then, how to reach that market," Salb says. The winners figure out what they do best and use that to establish their uniqueness. Whom do they want to reach and how many people comprise their "audience?" What is the step-by-step process to follow for reaching them?
•     Get professional help when charting where to spend marketing dollars. For instance, Salb says, retailers are often enamored of television advertising, not considering whether it reaches their customer in a cost-effective manner. They insist on using it, find out it’s expensive, and then want it cheap, further undermining the effort. Understanding media value as well as cost is essential.
•     All retailers, regardless of size, face the same problems. "The advantage to being large is that there is often more money to spend; but the smaller businessman often has the advantage of being more flexible," Salb says, suggesting a focus on copying marketing strategies that work and not the size of the business using them.
•     Avoid stagnation. If you’re just making a living month to month, you probably have a job and not a business. Make sure you've retained enough of your earnings to pursue marketing objectives and reinvest in new equipment, new expansion and new ideas essential to the vitality of your business.
•     Work hard to establish a memorable name and logo and invest in its marketing. Graphic consistency and clear message repetition will drive recognition of who and what you are. Moreover, never stray. A common pitfall for the retailer is getting bored with his/her own "look," completely forgetting that new people see it every day and old customers need it reinforced. "To this day, there's hardly a person in America, or maybe the world, who doesn’t instantly recognize 'The Marlboro Man,' although he's been off television for years," says Salb. Conversely, one popular juice has never been the same since it discontinued, 'I should've had a V-8.'"
•     Be happy when customers complain. How else are you going to know? "Retailers who don’t respond to intelligent complaints are looking a gift horse in the mouth," Salb advises.
•     Finally, judge content, not delivery. Dick Lyles, a seasoned business consultant, says the frequent problem with complaints is that "the sender isn’t good at sending." Address criticism respectfully and openly, and you've been given a "free" way to improve your business.

    So, has that New York bank learned any lessons about customer service?

    Don't akx.

    Laura Walcher dispensed marketing and public relations advice for 24 years in San Diego and is now chairman emeritus at Capener, Matthews & Walcher.