Are customers lining up at your door?

I recently took an unplanned trip to the local computer store to buy some parts that we needed to complete an upgrade to our accounting software. We had already been down a day and a half at this point and I was eager to get what I needed to get up and running again. I arrived at 9:40 am to a locked door that immediately surprised me. Quickly scanning for their hours of operation, I found the 10 am open time and decided to wait at the door for the 20 minutes that stood before me an a running computer. I pondered why this store would not open until 10 am? Yes, they were retail, but very specialized in that they had hard to find computer gadgets that were critical and available!

In 20 minutes time, no less than 7 other people joined me at the front door waiting for them to open for the day. I looked in the sliding doors with amazement as several employees stood near the front of the store looking at their customers. More perplexing were the employees just arriving who had to walk through the mini mob of us customers gathered at the doorstep! Don’t any of these guys think to open early, I thought?

They opened promptly at 10 and I soon found my parts and headed for the check out line. Right behind me was a guy that I noticed in the waiting line before the store opened. In his possession, a $2,500 computer system that he was flipping his credit down to pay for.

The manager saw him at the register and decided to greet him with special thanks for the big purchase. I could only think how lucky the computer store was that he waited the 20 minutes to buy. If not for a call he was on outside, he may have left for another store.

All this made me think, would customers wait “at my door” if I wasn’t open when they arrived? We are not a retail operation and don’t have many walk- in customers, but the same applies to our customers who call, fax, and place on line orders. Would they “wait” for us to buy? The computer store has lots of items, they are in stock, and priced well. The staff is knowledgeable, visible, and friendly. They make deals when needed to complete a sale, have a liberal return policy, and warranty all their goods. In short, they have removed all risk of purchasing those consumers typically face when buying technology type products.

What about your “store”? Can the same be said about how you operate? Think about the formula that it takes to get customers to buy from you. Perfect it, have all staff practice it, and deliver it with total enthusiasm. If you don’t have a lot of face-to-face contact with your customers, create a way so they can they still buy your product or services. Make it easy for them to buy when they come to your “store”? Allow them buy on line. Customers may then “wait” at your door when you are not yet open. Then again, if you follow the formula, your store will never be closed.