Emotional bonds

According to many business experts, the ability to retain customers and sell more to them is the single most important indicator of economic success for an organization. People don’t just buy a product or service; they trade their hard-earned money for only two things: 1) Good feelings and/or 2) solutions to their problems. These two things, in essence, are what your customers really value, and both of them can create an emotional experience for the customer. The more powerful the positive emotional experience, the more memorable the interaction becomes, and the more likely a person will make a purchase and return in the future.

We knew a man in Texas who was very good in sales. He had been the top salesperson at an auto dealership and his technique involved getting people emotionally involved with a vehicle. He would get to know the customer by asking some personal questions about their life so he could create better rapport and understand some of the customer’s motives. Once he found a car that interested the prospect, he would get the keys and let the customer take it for a drive.

So far, this isn’t much different from what other salespeople do; however, his next step was to build an emotional picture for the prospect. If he was talking to a single man who had a girlfriend, he would paint a picture in this man’s mind about how great it would feel pulling up to his girlfriend’s house in the car, and then taking her for a spin through town where his friends could see them with his new wheels. By the time the prospect finished the test drive, he was emotionally sold, and it was just a matter of taking care of some paperwork so he could experience what he had just imagined.

Outstanding real estate people understand the power of emotions when showing a house for sale. Cookies or bread baking in an oven can create an emotional bond that turns a house into a home. One particularly successful realtor understood this so well that she would learn her customers’ favorite art, flowers, music and more. Then she would check out paintings from a library and have them on the wall, the prospects’ flowers were displayed, and their favorite music played as they entered “their” home for the first time.

Ari Weinzweig, cofounder of Zingerman’s, a $10-million-per-year delicatessen feels it is essential that his staff create positive emotions with customers. “I tell our people that you want the customer to think they’re the best thing that has happened to you all day. We’re not here to sell a loaf of bread or a sandwich or an apple. We’re selling them an experience. It’s not enough to sell people a great bottle of olive oil. Who cares? You’ve got to give them a great experience. People are going to go where they have a great experience, where it’s fun, where they feel appreciated.”

How many businesses on Saipan consider the emotional side of doing business, or the importance of helping the customer have a great experience when they shop? Not many, from our observations. One case in point happened last week when I took our five-year-old, Kiana, shopping with me. Set up in the middle of an aisle was a freestanding porch swing. We had considered buying one, so Kiana and I sat on it and started talking about how much fun it would be to own it. Kiana started painting a vivid scenario with all her friends playing on it and having a good time. We had almost convinced ourselves to buy it when an employee came over and said in broken English, “Please… have some respect for the property. It’s for sale.”

I said, “Oh, you want me to get off it? I was thinking about buying it, but I’ll be sure not to now.” I tried to explain that people might like to experience what it’s like to sit in it before buying it, but the message wasn’t getting through. Their minimum-wage employee had scuttled a $250 sale by doing the opposite of what we’re advocating. Rather than encouraging customers to try it and help them experience what it would be like to own one, he had inadvertently botched a potential sale. In trying to teach me to show respect for a demo model, he demonstrated greater disrespect in handling a customer. And the sad part is that he actually thinks that he benefited the business. The company didn’t know what happened, and the employee will continue to save precious goods from being worn-out by those discourteous customers that like to try it before they buy.

Creating emotional bonds are vital for every business that wants to remain in business and continue to grow. Look at the few businesses on Saipan that are thriving and you will find that they not only have great products and services, but they also create strong emotional bonds with their customers, who reward the business with referrals and repeat business.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)