• someone open-minded, respectful of others, exhibiting this in their conversations with each of the staff and even other customers
• someone friendly to each employee even if they prefer to deal with only one
• someone that listens to the answer of a question before moving onto the next thing on their mind
• someone that doesn’t visit at peak traffic times and demand immediate assistance regardless of the crowd
• someone that doesn’t expect constant attention while in the store
• someone that doesn’t show up at 5-15 minutes before closing each time they come in
• someone that occasionally makes a purchase, not just availing themselves of free services only
• someone that practices good hygiene (bath and breath) or allows some “personal space” to others
• someone with phone manners that identifies himself when calling and also determines who he's talking to
• someone that doesn’t have to be the subject of OR part of each conversation just because they’re in the room
You’ll notice that I never mentioned pricing, selection, hours or any other of the things that would make you
choose to be at this store rather than another. You vote with your feet. If you don’t feel whatever effort you’ve
made to be a good customer is reflected in the way you’re treated, by all means, you need to share that with the
staff and/or find a different store.
A simple thing to do that’ll almost always make you stand out among all of the other customers- be courteous and respectful. When the conversation or sale is completed take a few seconds to look the staff member in the eye, smile, and say thank you. So few customers do this that’d you’d be placed on a very short list immediately in that staff member’s eyes. Over a short period of time you’d be supported differently by the entire staff. Even the best of customers eventually start dream-building. Thinking and talking of that new tank or new filtration system is normal. Dragging each employee down this path each and everytime you visit is NOT. I've had customers do this over a period of months, even over a year. The best customers catch this after a few times and just stop. They'll normally smile and add, "you know the rest... ."
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