“We’re here to be your friends and support you as best as we can, and it’s a very collaborative sort of journey rather than something that’s very top-down,” says Scott Marquart of Nashville-based Stringjoy in this issue’s cover feature (page 10) when discussing his company’s attitude towards partnerships with MI retailers. His VP of global sales, Chris Gilchrist, has a similar focus: “I want to be the best supplier for these dealers. I don’t want to push them around. I don’t want to ask them for minimum buy-ins or call them up in January and say, ‘You didn’t hit your minimum. You gotta place this order.’”
The philosophy has served the young fretted instrument string supplier well, as the past nine years have seen the company grow from an initial total investment of $500 to now being stocked by over 400 MI dealers and being played by hundreds of thousands of end-users, including some big-name, high-profile artists. The lesson to be learned? If you have quality product priced competitively and treat people fairly, with courtesy and respect – go figure, they’ll want to work with you!
On the retail side of the equation, Roland’s Corey Fournier offers some advice for MI retailers in this month’s Roundtable on the Home Digital Keyboard market (page 16): “Focus on understanding what the customer is looking for in a piano and finding the right piano for their situation. Do they need portability? Is it for a venue? How the piano fits into their home and family’s lifestyle is also a significant consideration.”
Again, the basic concept is simple: be attentive, learn about your customer’s needs, and work with them to provide the very best purchasing experience and they’ll wind up satisfied, you’ll make the sale, and in all likelihood a new and lasting consumer/retailer relationship is formed. Everybody wins!
Why, then, if the importance of “good customer service” is so seemingly universally agreed-upon and obvious, is the need for focusing on that aspect of doing business an evergreen clarion call in this – and nearly every other – industry? As anyone who reads MMR regularly is aware, Menzie Pittman’s “Small Business Matters” column frequently stresses the importance of MI retailers making a commitment to superior service. From his June entry: “Customers tend to cling to the smallest incentive, and the special touches a business can offer them. And it is precisely these things that keep customers loyal. Whether the customer mentions the gratitude or not, they notice and appreciate the courtesies and interactions. Now, more than ever, those small civilities will keep your customers loyal to your business.”
Do you find that all too cerebral, too hippy-dippy, or not of true relevance to financial success as a business? “Why do so many companies overlook customer service?” asked Purdue University entrepreneurship educator Angie Stocklin in a recent Indianapolis Business Journal column (“Why Companies Must Not Overlook Customer Service”). “Traditionally, customer service has been viewed as a cost center instead of a revenue driver, and it’s hard for companies to allocate funds to activities that aren’t moving the needle.” She explains that, for her own business, it became very clear, very quickly that, “Customers that had a problem successfully solved by our team were more likely to repurchase compared with customers who never voiced a concern. These metrics were directly related to our topline revenue growth and allowed everyone in the company to value customer service as more than a bottom-line hit.”
Successful MI suppliers, up-and-coming entrepreneurs on a skyward trajectory, NAMM Dealer of the Year Award winners, educators and successful investors – everyone’s in agreement that “the personal touch,” and just plain decency are vital keys to doing business properly (and profitably).
However, some – too many – seem to forget this very simple approach from time to time, or treat it as an aspect of business with “secondary” importance. Those are usually the folks who complain about losing sales to online retail, big-box dealers, or whatever else. If you treat your interactions with consumers solely as commerce, that’s all it will ever be. Partnerships and relationships with end-users can – and consistently do – present an appealing alternative to purchasing gear or an instrument with a click on the screen of an online retailer. It should be obvious at this point, right?
So why do I suspect Menzie and others (myself included!) will continue to feel obliged to passionately advocate for this approach to business…?
