I was debating this
morning over some coffee, why some coffee shops treat clients as
work-in-progress, whilst others treat them like people. They let them relax, don’t
process them, enjoy the hospitality, order more coffee when and if they want
to, and, perhaps have something to eat, or don’t … “No problem, we are just
happy to see you – pop in tomorrow”.
The WIP coffee shops
have studied at retail school and learnt all the psychological tricks for
keeping customers turning over, including well-worn clichés, like “would you
like something to drink in the meantime”, when that is the only reason you are
there. Others just plonk a full breakfast menu in front of a customer without
asking if they want that.
I was listening to the
CEO of a new firm that specializes in small beauty services – nails, hair,
skin, neck massages, etc. He personally inducts all new staff members, so they get
his heart. His motto is simple, “we are not doing this to make money, but to
deliver an experience”.
His research confirmed
that many just yearn for a moment of pampering, personal care and having
their hand held. Wow, that is all it took to make the money flow in building a
great business – and they don’t waste money on advertising because they come back
again and again, and bring friends.
Why is that all so important?
Because people are not just WIP. They are complex, sentient beings that value
being valued.
In the 90’s every car
started to look similar in pursuit of perfect efficiency, but that compromised
on differentiation. They had to pull back and trade efficiency for aesthetics
to ensure that customers were not so indifferent in their purchase decisions
that only price mattered.
In the 2000’s the internet
provided another wave of ultimate efficiency. With no human involvement at all
I can now shop for a book, pay for it and have it delivered within a day – and because
that costs less I score on a discount. However, it doesn’t explain why there
was a 27% increase in Christian Bookstores in the USA last year.
It is because people
are not WIP. Efficiency has increased our need for human touch and dialogue. So
along came Facebook and Twitter to ensure more dialogue, but that missed the point
– people are not WIP. They don’t want more canned content, they want better
communications. They want to smell the room, hear every sound, enjoy a
beautiful smile, engage … and this age is missing that.
The saddest thing for
me is the church, the institution that should have held to human touch and engagement
more than anyone else, has drifted down the same road. Pastors feel that all
the unwashed minions need is a good canned sermon, great music and a few extras,
and ‘walla’, we have a church. No we don’t, we have an audience.
Church growth thinking
is now more like paint-by-numbers, a formulaic approach that ticks all those
nice little boxes that actually have squat to do with the needs of people. They
are not WIP and they don’t come for a weekly service. Cars may need that, but
people need quality time.
The contemporary
selling paradigm happens to be the oldest model for selling. It dates back to
the time when Jesus would sit on a rock, engage, tell stories, look into eyes
and love every wretched soul into His Father’s arms. He knew that need and
related to it.
Now some firms, those
that excel in service and how to use it for repeat business, are rediscovering
the timeless value of human interaction.
They are finding what the church seems
less willing to see, that love still makes the world go round.
One bookstore in the UK actively develops
network groups (we used to call them home-cells), which gather around their
chosen topic, drink coffee and order more books. Intense, engaging dialogue and
engagement is the key to their runaway success.
I am left to only make
this observation … it seems God was right after all. Love does matter.
(c) Peter Missing: bethelstone@gmail.com
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