We Notice The Little Things.
August 26, 2011
By Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter
Clean restrooms. Wide, uncluttered aisles. Spotless silverware. Pleasing color combinations. Intuitive web site navigation. Employee benefits.
What do all these have in common?
They're all things women notice - and that will incent us to buy, again and again. Employee benefits? Really? Yes, really. If you treat your employees well, they'll be much happier (and likely) to go above and beyond for your customers. If I know, for example, that you let employees bring their dogs to work...or wear jeans on Friday, I feel good about giving you my hard-earned dinero, for everything from clothing to software.
And, we also like creative. Not that men aren't creative, but...in real life, most not so much, especially when it comes to quality of life. We're talking the sex, after all, that seemingly can't grok that glaring overhead light doesn't make for a homey home. I still remember one boyfriend saying, as he sank gratefully onto my sofa by a roaring fire, "I love coming here, it's so nice. What do you do?" Um, pillows? Lamps? A few live plants? ;0
ANYWAY, where was I going with this? Oh. Yeah. Stick with me, I do have a point.
So, your ideas? What seemingly little things makes you love to buy from someone? What keeps you going back?
I'm so glad you mentioned the restrooms. If a store doesn't have clean bathrooms, or worse, doesn't even have public restrooms to offer - this is a definite turn off.
I make sure to let the business know when I do find a bathroom that is clean, pretty and leaves me feeling welcome and at home. It makes a huge difference and I can spend more time there, not having to worry if me, or my little ones, need to use the restroom while we're out and about.
Posted by: Sondra | September 05, 2011 at 07:15 PM
This is soooo true!! It's the little things... My work took out jeans on Friday's!
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Posted by: Brooke | August 30, 2011 at 06:24 PM
You are so right! My mother once chose a catering hall for a big event becuase they asked her if she'd like a cup of coffee when she came in.
Posted by: Debra Gaynor | August 30, 2011 at 11:33 AM
A company that a) treats its employees well b) communicates clearly with me and doesn't treat me like a fool and c) responds to me when they say they're going to ... is most likely to get my business again.
Having a clean office and a nice, easy-to-navigate website helps, too.
Posted by: Melissa Wright | August 29, 2011 at 03:09 PM
I like to shop where people are passionate about what they are doing no matter what it is. There is a girl in my local Sainsburys who is so jolly and happy, it's a pleasure to be served by her and she's always like that, every time I go in. She's a ray of sunshine.
Posted by: Janine Regan-Sinclair | August 28, 2011 at 07:21 AM
I am more willing to spend money with a company who treats their employees well.
Posted by: Roseanne | August 27, 2011 at 09:35 PM
That's so true. Small touches (a humorous sign, involvement with a charity, an interesting project) can make a place (or a person!) seem warmer and more welcoming, and when we see a person or a company making an effort to include them, we tend to have a more positive opinion of them.
Posted by: Susan | August 27, 2011 at 02:25 PM