In this Issue:
FEATURE ARTICLE
How to Win a Customer - For Life!
VEGETABLE NEWS
STRAWBERRY NEWS
APPLE NEWS
NOTE: There will be no Newsletter next week.
| Vol 4 No. 7 | June 29, 2007 |
How to Win a Customer - For Life!
Karl Foord, University of MN, Regional Extension Educator, Extension Regional Center-Farmington, Dakota Co.
Winning a customer for life requires empathy and vigilance. It is not an opportunity that arrives on a daily basis. But when the situation is right, there will be an opportunity to create a lasting memory for both your customers and yourself. You will also have created an experience that defines your business at its peak.
Such an experience is best defined by its impact. People come to your Farmers’ Market booth with a set of expectations. They expect quality fruits and vegetables, a knowledgeable salesperson, good service, and prices below their value calculations. As you know, it is a significant challenge just to meet these expectations. Nonetheless, meeting people’s expectations does not create high impact experiences and lasting memories. Exceeding expectations leads to extraordinary experiences and increases impact. Going out of one’s way to satisfy a customer, or being particularly patient with a finicky customer exceeds expectations and creates loyal customers. This level of service will grow your business but it will not lock in a customer for a lifetime.
To lock in a customer for a lifetime you need to touch the heart. Lasting memories are emotionally charged memories. I have one story to illustrate such an interaction.
A woman was providing samples of the cookies that she baked for her booth at the Farmers’ Market. She offered a sample to a young boy in the company of his grandfather. The boy explained that he could not accept the sample because he had a strong allergic reaction to any products that might contain peanut ingredients. The woman said, “I’ll tell you what. Next week before I cook any of my other products I will make a batch of cookies without any peanut ingredients so you can feel safe in tasting my cookies”. The next week when the boy and his grandfather returned, true to her word she had prepared the first batch as peanut-free “safe” cookies. This continued for several weeks. One week, the boy was accompanied by his mother. The boy went straight for the cookie lady. His mother intervened and explained that he could not taste the samples because of his peanut allergy. The boy told his mom, “Its OK mom, she knows!”
I applaud our cookie baker for her insight and sensitivity. The mother must have been particularly appreciative of a vendor that made a special effort to provide a safe treat that met the special needs of her son. It would be my bet that the boy makes sure that he doesn’t miss the visits to the Farmers’ Market and brings his family along. The Farmers’ Market will hold a special place in the heart of this family because someone made a special effort to respect the special needs of one of their family members.
Recommendations
Meet expectations. Strive to produce extraordinary experiences for your customers. And look for opportunities to create lifetime customers with experiences that touch the heart.
References and Recommended Reading
LaSalle, Diana, and Terry A. Britton, 2003. Priceless – Turning Ordinary Products into Extraordinary Experiences. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Wednesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-201-6217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 625 Robert St. North, St. Paul, MN 55155. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/ipm/ipmnews.htm
Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.
DISCLAIMER
Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current manufacturer directions.
Last Revised June, 2007 by woldx018@umn.edu
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