How much of your local cafe or favourite shop have you paid for?
How much of your local cafe or favourite shop have you paid for?
This question came about when my wife looked up from her crafts box (after receiving a parcel of items from her favourite web supplier) and asked me “I wonder how much I have spent with Company X ?”
I remarked that she probably owned an office chair or at least their invoice printer by now as she has spent several hundred pounds with them in the past few years.
So taking away the cost of the stock and assumed overheads we reckon the nett profit alone would be in the region of £200 – £300
She favours this supplier because of 2 reasons;
1. Great product range with keen pricing and good stock availability
2. Service (faultless)
I’m not sure other websites or operators get a look in and I can see the company’s profits being boosted further in the coming months as she makes our Christmas cards and presents for friends and family
There’s a lesson in this, that by having a great range of items at keen prices and listening to your clients (and adapting to their needs) you will build and retain a loyal client base.
It is the incremental spend that will help keep you afloat and able to offer great service time after time.
So, next time you are heading towards your favourite place (or website) spend a minute and let the staff or owner know why you chose them instead of their competitors. They’ll appreciate it and you will gain from it in the long run too.
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It’s also worth remembering as a customer that if the product or service is not upto expected standard – rather then taking the rather standard approach of deciding to not use the supplier again, a quick e-mail regarding the problem will often generate a suitable solution with replacement or discount off a next purchase. No business intends to supply badly, but if problems occur that they are never informed of they can never take steps to prevent them happening in the future.