Cheering Section!
Well, it’s back to school time.  I find myself, for the first time, standing in a sea of parents, buggy to buggy, slightly pushing and nudging,  all reading a slip of paper with a common theme – the school supply list for the upcoming year. This is a long list and I wonder that if I’m buying all this, what is the school providing? So that’s 4 packs of glue sticks (yes, four) and 3 packs of antibacterial wipes (this one is a winner though so I’ll go ahead and get 5). Next on the list, 3 packs of 24 count – you guessed it – crayons. Not just any crayons, a specific brand of crayons. I notice, under the brand name is an underline and an asterisk out to the side. This is the ONLY underline on the entire list so this one must be important. So, I trail down the page to see what the asterisk means and I find these words written:  *We are requesting particular brands on some items due to proven quality and consistency. Despite the fact that I can get crayons a little cheaper than that specified brand, can you guess which brand I buy? Go on – guess. You’ve got it – the recommended brand – 5 boxes. Hey, I like to be prepared!
As a small business owner, it so easy to fall victim to the trappings of valuing your business based on how many followers or friends you have, if you’ve been pinned, linked in, or retweeted.  Those things are important, but if they are not translating into tangible sales of goods or services, having 5,000 followers or 500+ connections all of a sudden don’t look so hot.  The teachers who composed my daughter’s school supply listing are not being paid by the crayon brand that they recommended – there’s no swag bag full of free supplies for the classroom waiting for them in the Teacher’s Lounge. That brand has simply done something that will override celebrity endorsement any day – delivered on their promise to provide a quality product time and time again. The brand established trust.
A recent WOMMA blog post by Jacob Hurwith deals with the BIG difference between brand influencers vs brand advocates. We often overlook customer service in our businesses not realizing the ripple effect a positive or negative experience can have on the longevity of our businesses. We shun meeting with customers or smile just long enough to close the sale and move on. We don’t engage them in conversation to understand their needs. Taking the time to build a relationship with your customer and delivering quality on a consistent basis not only makes them happy, but it establishes trust.  As an added perk, happy people tell other happy people and the next thing you know, there’s a love fest going on in your honor.  It becomes infectious (in a good way). With the slightest effort, you’ve just created a faithful brand advocate, who, at no cost to you (other than time) will gladly spread the good vibrations down the line and position your business to perhaps, find its way onto the school supply list, underlined,  with an asterisk by it.
**Support local businesses: KTC Learning Center. Owner/Director: Kenjila Hammonds. www.KTCLearningCenter.com
