Become Everything to Some People
Become Everything to Some People
After closing 328 stores back in 2000, K-Mart agreed the time had come to adapt to what the customer wanted instead of expecting the customer to adapt to them.
"The whole purpose of the structure is to provide better service for our customers" said K-Mart spokeswoman Teresa Fearon.
K-Mart began to staff its stores with specialized sales people, instead of rotating employees between departments. What a revolutionary concept! Salespeople who actually know what they're talking about!
Why didn't K-Mart invest in trained salespeople a long time ago? Surely they knew their service was lousy. I'm only guessing, but I'll wager the suggestion was made numerous times and each time the answer was given: You can't be all things to all people. The shopper who wants service is not our customer. Our customer cares only about selection and low prices.
You can't be all things to all people. This is the standard objection we hear at seminars and when reading self help business books. You can't be all things to all people.
There is a common misconception that the person who lists price as their primary reason for choosing a store doesn't care about service or quality. In reality, every shopper is concerned about price, service, quality, convenience, friendliness and image, but to varying degrees. Customers choose the laboratory they believe offers the best combination of these attributes.
Can you become all things to some people? Yes! Absolutely! And it's essential that you do! On the mental scorecard of the customer, K-Mart scored so poorly on service that their score for low price was simply not enough to make up for it. Other stores were perceived as offering a better combination of price, service, quality, etc.
Believe it or not, affluent customers care about price and bargain hunters care about service. It's your job to make your laboratory all things to as many people as possible. The right combination of emphasis depends on your laboratory's history (your position in the market) your staff, your inventory, your location and your competitors. There is no magic formula.
Now, more than ever, as we sink into what may be a state of economic malaise, it becomes more important that you bring to the table value for your fees. Better technical support, better service, a wider variety of technologies, support services such as e-mail communication, digital photography and implant case planning and diagnostic wax ups.
There will always be price hunters and there will always be laboratories who will provide for them. But it's a game where the last man standing is unlikely to ever recover from the battle. Likewise, there will always be top-tier dentists who demand attention and near perfection in every detail of every case and will pay top dollar for it. But the broad fat middle of the market is laden with potential customers who are looking for that perfect combination of price, service and quality. These dentists are thinking the same thing you are: How will my business fare in the face of a sagging economy?
Pick your top five customers and ask them what drew them to your laboratory and what you can do better. Capitalize on those attributes and you will find you'll attract more like-minded dentists. YouÃre not trying to be everything to everybody, just trying to be everything to the kind of clients that are the cornerstone of your business. And that is the foundation you want to build upon.
