I don’t do it often but once every while I will shake up where I purchase my morning iced tea. Where in the world I developed an iced tea habit growing up in Pittsburgh – who knows!? And, as my mother begs me to release this habit (I am not sure that she has ever answered the question – as to why?) it’s a habit that I enjoy. I love iced tea!
So, this morning brought me to a drive thru Starbuck’s. As I pulled up to the order center and took a breath to deliver what I very well knew was my iced tea order, I stopped short. There on the intercom was a yellow post-it that read: “You’re doin’ great today!” A silent “thank you” to the post-it and a grin followed, for the “atta-girl” post-it pat on the back and the continued belief that all would go well today.
Who doesn’t want an early morning cheerleader? Who doesn’t want to believe that this day will be one of the best days in the week for you? And, what retailer takes the time to “seed” their customers with a bit of written good will.
In sales, the approach sometimes can be “us against them”. You can see it in certain retail stores, you can feel it in their staff, you can validate it when you try to do a return and get little service, bad service or no service.
Or there can be bridges. And, it’s the bridging belief that customers are pretty similar to us merchants and to treat them in that manner. With positive, surprise post-it comments taped to the order monitor, with customer appreciation incentives, with the other things that Starbuck’s does, they have a grass roots “fan club” that creates the experience of bridging their customers with their corporate philosophies that creates foot soldiers in every market. What retailer doesn’t want that?
So, thank you, Starbuck’s – I am doing great today and I appreciate your validation of that on this beautiful Tuesday.
