Bringing Back Old School Service Part 5
Today we will wrap up our 5-part series on Service with RELATIONSHIP. Each of these 5 topics is part of Heartlands core values, but relationships are our favorite. Being in business for 40 years we have created relationships with salon owners, industry professionals, and manufacturing partners that we wouldn’t trade for anything. They have evolved well beyond business relationships into true meaningful friendships, and when you build your company on a structure of family values these friendships are everything.
There is a phrase used in business that says, “People don’t do business with businesses, they do business with people” and we couldn’t agree more. In a technology-driven age, we have adapted to building online abilities to place orders and inventory management, however, there is something to be said about the one-to-one connection of human interaction. Therefore, we make ourselves accessible to our salon partners from owners, management, to business support reps so that we can continue to have a relationship with our customers.
So, let’s take a look at relationships in business in the past. Believe it or not, there was a time when the butcher at the local market knew their customers so well that they knew what cut of meat they would want for the Holidays. The postman knew every family on the block, and Doctors made house calls. People knew people, not the stuff posted on social media, but the stuff that mattered. How well do you know your customers?
Now we aren’t saying become some kind of stalker, just that you should invest in those that invest in your business. Care enough to learn about the people coming into your salon. What is their favorite lotion, or bed? What is their family like? Where do they work? Most of all, HOW CAN YOU HELP THEM? Having a relationship with your customers makes them feel valued and makes it harder for them to go to the business down the road. It’s a service your competitor probably doesn’t offer that cannot be replaced.