Are You Pleasing Everyone?
Posted by Rick Segel on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 @ 02:43 PM
I had another article that I had been working on all week and I just got an email from someone who changed all of that. This person complained about one of my interviews on The Retailer’s Advantage. This person was very respectful and complimented me on my work but thought that this one interview I did recently just didn’t meet my normal standard. It’s a valid point and he brings up a few lessons we can all learn from. Let me explain.
After I read the comments I smiled and I had flashbacks from being in my store. Why? Because I would work so hard at buying the merchandise for my store and there were times when my customers just didn’t like my choices. I looked at buying as an art form as well as a science. I would shop other stores, I networked with other retailers for ideas, I belonged to prestige buying offices, I EVEN SHOPPED DIFFERENT MARKETS. I would go to Atlanta, Dallas, California, and of course, New York. Then I would be so selective with each vendor and if merchandise ever came in that was different than what I had purchased, I would be on the phone so fast to send it back.
The next step if the merchandise was right was to prepare it for the selling floor, find just the right spot on the selling floor, and then finally display and sign it properly. After all of that, it never failed--a customer would come in and look at this piece of merchandise and say something like, “What were you thinking when you bought that?” or “What has happened to this store? You used to carry such nice merchandise?”
It happens to every retailer, it happens to every business, and yes, it even happens to writers and interviewers.
The interesting part about this interview was that I personally liked it. Understand, I interview a lot of people and I feel I have a pulse on the market but you never know. Just like in buying merchandise; some are going to be winners and some aren’t. I go through the same steps as buying merchandise. I contact someone who comes with either a strong recommendation or someone I respect personally and the interview comes out less than I had expected.
Do you kill it or let the program run? I have killed an interview and then I ran the risk of alienating the guest. But most of the time I feel it’s up to my audience or my customer base to make the decision. A few months ago we aired what I considered to be the worst guest I have ever interviewed. I almost lost it with some of the responses. Yet, the next day I had 5 responses from members telling me that it was the best and most inspirational interview I had ever done. Go figure.
What are the lessons to be learned from this?
- You just never know exactly what the public is going to like.
- One comment does NOT mean that everyone hates it
- However, a negative comment should never be ignored and is a warning sign.
- It’s good to get some negative comments because many times that can mean you are trying something different. Sometimes new items or change is initially rejected. That doesn’t mean it’s bad--you just might be early with a look or trend.
- Always remember the people who take the time to write or tell you about a problem or bad piece of merchandise care. THANK THEM (I am sending two books to the person who wrote to me.)
- Don’t let the negative talk get you down. It’s part of living and doing business. There are some people who like to complain just for the sake of complaining. Don’t worry, those people are easy to recognize because they complain about more than just one thing. After all they are complainers.
- Lastly, remember my all time favorite quote that works in times like this. “Don’t worry about the mule going blind, just load the wagon.”
Again, thank you to the person who wrote to me. I will let you know what the rest of the comments on the interview are like. The books are on the way.