Customer Service Comes in Many Forms I started in retail over 25 years ago. It was a dream of mine to own my own business. I spent many nights trying to figure out how and what would work for me. I really didn't want be an employee my whole career.
To make a long story short, the stars (really the capital) all lined up and my partner and I decided to start a garden store. I've always loved plants and it was something I knew a little about.
Our first stop for us was a consult with the Small Business Administration, where they recommended we set up a one on one with a Score volunteer. I thought it was a grand idea, I really wanted to hear what someone who had been in business their whole career would tell us.
The day came for our appointment and the old guy ushered us into his office. In a polite manner he sat us down. He sat behind a big desk and put us in the little visitor chairs and asked:
"What can I help you young ladies with?" (I should have known right away I was in trouble).
Undaunted, I said "We're going to open a garden store and....."
"Hold it right there" he
interrupted and grabbed my hand before continuing
"I don't see any dirt under your fingers, how can you open a garden store if you have such soft hands?"
"Come back when you've had some experience mowing lawns and pulling weeds."
Then he proceeded to shoo us out the door.
I don't know what he expected to accomplish with that, but it sure made me mad as hell!
When we opened the store, vendors for the most part took a 'let's wait and see' attitude. As long as we had enough money for an opening order they delivered. Some of these vendors later found us such good customers they would call on us regularly showing us new inventory, or even ask us what
we thought might sell well.
However, one vendor, a popular seed company thought that they needed to protect their brand name and refused to sell to us. Not only that, when we asked the owner of the company why, he said "I drove by your store when it was closed and decided your store didn't look good enough for my product."
Well, our customers kept requesting the seeds, and we kept begging, but no. That is until another vendor who had been happily working with us for a couple of years told the seed company that they were missing their target customers by ignoring us.
The seed company finally relented and 'allowed' us to carry their seeds. And as it turned out we became one of their biggest Washington state retailers. However, we never really got over the treatment. Whenever recommending a seed company to our customers we would recommend the company who was there for us from the start. And as soon as we could, we would return any overstock and count every dime due us from the bad seed company. Not necessarily the best for them - we could have sold double the amount we did of their product.
Why am I telling you this? Well, for one thing I hear a lot of vendors treat
eBayers that way and the backlash is growing.
I even had a sales person turn their back on me at a trade show a couple of years ago... it was their loss.
And because - it happened to me again just recently. I was written off as someone 'who didn't look good enough.' in an email.
I wrote an email to a person I had been considering recommending to my clients. I actually wanted to spend money and support this persons venture by purchasing a booth at an upcoming venue they are
sponsoring.
Well they looked at my signature line and sent me an email within minutes telling me "there was nothing I could offer them."
Wow, I hate that when that happens, I want to spend money and they won't take it....
Guess it's there loss. I'll be sending my business to another vendor.
Please post your thoughts.
