[A client recently asked me to speak to his employees at their annual training and certification meeting. The company I work for is a lotion manufacturer, but these employees work at his popular chain of tanning salons. The following is a longer post than normal, as it is a summary of what I thought was most important to get across to these mostly college-aged employees...]

The primary thing we need to keep in mind in this type of business is: "Alright" is not alright.

There are conversations on campus every single day where one person asks another what they think. Picture two girls walking to class, talking about tanning. One asks the other, "Where do you tan?"

She says, "A Place To Tan."

"Oh, I've seen that. What's it like?"

"It's alright."

Did you hear that? She said it's alright. "Alright" is not a compliment here. "Alright" really means it's not good enough to refer her friend to. If it were, she would have said so. If it were, she wouldn't mind being identified with it.

"Alright" means if some other salon offers a better deal, she'll take it without hesitation. If there is no difference between salons, find the cheapest and closest one because there's no reason to do business with A Place To Tan.

The customer's experience is mostly in your hands. That makes you a more important marketing team than I could ever be for this business.

What we would like that girl to say is, "It's great -- it's way better than what I have back home."

Think about that. We're not just competing against other local tanning salons here, we're competing against whatever they're used to. We're competing against expectations. If they have a great salon where they come from, and we don't measure up, they'll keep looking for another place. If we make their salon back home look like a dump, they'll love us.

Let the other salons aim for mediocre and say, "Well, this is just Muncie." Let's aim higher and treat customers like they are from the fancy suburbs of Indianapolis or Chicago. If they shop around at all, they'll see the difference.

My job often involves driving traffic into a business. But what they experience will end up weighing a lot more. Let me illustrate...

Do you remember Pepsi One? I don't even think they make it anymore. Know why? Because it tasted like crap! It didn't just have the "diet aftertaste," it was instant nastiness. Am I right?

The ads got people to try it, but the customer experience made them want to spit it out. Effective marketing requires both -- promotional messages that generate interest, and a buying experience that fulfills the promises.

Do you remember Storm? It was an attempt by Pepsi to imitate 7-Up and Sprite. They don't make this one anymore either. Why? Not because it tasted like crap, but because it was bland. You might even say it was "alright."

Once again, the ads were good enough to make you aware and make you want to try it. But once you did, you had no good reason to try it again.

Now, how about Sierra Mist? I can't even remember a single ad for it, but it has stayed on the market and does pretty well. Why? Because it's good. It tastes like 7-Up or Sprite, which is what people want and expect. Proof that the experience means more than what you say the experience is going to be.

So take pride in what you're doing here, because you own the customer experience. You are the marketing team in ways you might not even realize.

A very interesting finding from multiple consumer studies is this: Customers, especially women, will judge a place more on the cleanliness of the bathrooms than any other factor. Yep, even including how you treat them to their face.

The bathrooms are prime marketing territory. This is not just a service business, not just a skincare business, it is a hygeine business.

The product shelves are important too. Keep them organized and attractive. If they're a jumble, customers won't take time to look them over. They'll go elsewhere. It's a basic truth that if it looks like work to find a product they want, they just won't do it.

Make it easy for people to give you their money. This is a good code to live by.

Customer complaints or problems are a marketing opportunity too. Let's say someone says something is wrong with their tanning bed. You wouldn't say it out loud, but your body language might say, "Gee, I'd really like to care, but I'm not going to get my butt off this stool."

Make them feel important and listened to. Maybe you can't fix the bed, but at least get up and take a look at it with them. Then tell them you'll get someone on it. And if you have their email address in your files, let them know when the problem has been fixed! No one else is going to do that kind of thing, so it's a great way to stand out as an employee, as a company, and as a problem-solver.

Now, you might not like this one, but I have to tell you it's probably best if you don't come to work in your pajamas. I know your customers do, but take it up just a notch and be a little more professional. People will say they don't notice or don't care, but they do. It will make the other salons look like cut-rate, back-alley operations if you show pride and they don't.

So do we all agree that "alright" is not alright? Do every part of your job just a little better, take just a little better care of your customers, and this place will keep growing with or without a good economy.

Just think of the kind of reference you want when you graduate and try to land a job. Do you want a really good review, or just "alright?"

Labels: customer centered, customer service, employees, management, marketing