Sometimes the Answer is Right Under Your Nose

Successful business owners are always on the hunt for better ways to embellish their business growth.

During a time of economic downturn, we often have unsettled feelings about the effects of horrific inflation. It is then that 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.

In today’s business environment, shiny objects just won’t get the job done because we are in a climate where heart wins over head. Think about it: everyone can feel the uncertainty. Gas goes up, gas goes down, but then gas goes up again. No one I know is happy about higher interest rates and inflation. It negatively affects everyone, and since the music business is based on a model of desire, not need, you must personally connect with your customers and touch the consumers’ hearts every time you get the opportunity!

If you are interested in taking a class on how to do it right, I’m recommending you make an appointment with my dentist, Dr. Woodside. I swear you won’t regret it. It’s the best customer service course you could ever take. Here’s a guy who is in the “pain business,” the business of drilling and filling. Certainly, no one is excited to go there, but wait! It’s the best-run business in town. How does he make you relax, and spend money on the idea of pain? The answer is simple: atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.

From the second you walk through his door, you want to move in there. The presentation of the lobby waiting area makes you forget that you’re in a medical facility. It feels more like visiting George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon but not in a snobby way, mind you; it just feels like he really cares about the details. You will not find old issues of People magazine on the tabletops. This businessperson has thought of every personal detail that might make a patient relax. Take for example, the second time I went there. The receptionist called me by my name – and not my last name, mind you. She addressed me as a friend would and called me by my first name. She asked about my daughter, and about how she was doing in Nashville. And this was only the second time I had ever spoken with this person. What I noticed immediately is that this business shows respect by remembering you, and that you are not just a number or a chart to them. In a music store that translates to remembering the music that a customer or student likes, or a musician he or she feels inspired by. It shows you care enough to remember.

Here is the special touch that really tells the story of my dental office. Like many dental offices, the patients walk away with a toothbrush kit, but once the employees in my dental office learned that I have a dog, they now include a second kit for him. In a harried time when civility is inconvenient, those little touches really matter.

Dr. Woodside takes a different approach and has a different and distinctive way about him. When you first meet him, his eye contact instantly puts you at ease. This is a trait I strive to have all employees embrace. The way an employee interacts with a customer can establish the pathway to trust. The goal is to make your clients feel your confidence, and this is manifest through body language and eye contact

Dr. Woodside also has a unique way of dealing with children; he lowers his body physically to the level of the child. If, by chance, the patient is older, his manner is respectful, warm, and welcoming. He defers to their seniority while not losing authority and, by doing so, he establishes trust.

It was my recent visit that encouraged me to draft this article. Dr. Woodside learned that I was in the music business, and as it turns out his son attends Berklee College of Music. Normally, when you have an appointment with a doctor or dentist, time is of the essence. For efficiency, these professionals arrange their schedules with little room for small talk. But good Doctor Woodside wanted to share his connection to music with me and, thus, he initiated the conversation. No doubt the time we spent chatting caused his schedule to be off for the rest of the day. But he is so charming that I am sure he put the subsequent patients at ease. When you think about it, what could be better in a time of stress, than patience and genuine engagement? This is one advantage small businesses have over the boxes, and we should take advantage of that.

Honestly, I learned more from this dentist in two hours than I have from any seminar I have taken in the last year. Of course, that is excluding Alan Friedman’s seminars at NAMM, as he is Dr Woodside’s twin in terms of MO. Also, I sat next to Bernard Purdie, so that doesn’t hurt either!