That Darn To-Do List

Into everyone’s life a little rain must fall. But, as a very wise man once told me, in every problem there is an opportunity. Very sound advice.

All of this is on my mind this issue as we offer a special feature on 10 Problems/10 Solutions for Team Dealers in 2010 (page 16). Because while it is easy to find any number of challenges for dealers, we prefer to focus on the solutions to these problems. It is a much more alluring – and meaningful – story that way,

We all know that the best way for team dealers to become indispensible to their customers is to help them solve their problems. If you help a coach or athletic director or volunteer recreation buyer check off just one item on their to-do list, you will have taken a step to having a loyal and profitable customer (and friend).

This comes to mind as I ponder three recent customer service encounters that have restored my faith in retailers. I sometimes despair that customer service is dead; it turns out it is simply looking for the right retailer to help it out. The lessons are sound for dealers as well.

1. In the first instance, a bicycle I had purchased had a problem with the wheel that could be traced back to the manufacturer. Bikes aren’t cheap, you know, so I sort of insisted the specialty bike retailer I bought it from replace the wheel for me; he agreed, but the factory didn’t. But he went ahead and replaced it at no cost to me anyway — his fight with the factory is really not my problem.

2. The next week a lamp I purchased had one small, broken part. Very small, and I could have lived without it, but the directions had an 800-number to call for problems so – more out of curiosity than need – I placed the call, left a message and a real, live person called me back within eight business hours. Two days later, at their expense, I had the replacement part and my lamp no longer leans to the left.

3. My final experience told me how surprising good customer service – and, on the flip side, how acceptable bad service – is these days. My daughter is working in a restaurant for the summer – Sammy’s Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach, DE; if you happen to be in the area use my name and you’ll get a good seat – and she was impressed that Sammy himself took the cost of a breakfast off of the bill for a customer whose child decided she really didn’t want chocolate chip pancakes that morning. No questions asked. It’s just the way good customer service is done at this particular place.

Now none of this comes as a surprise for team dealers, whose entire livelihood is built on fixing problems, providing solutions and keeping customers happy. It remains the dealer’s primary weapon against challenges from other dealers, vendors, the Internet and direct sellers.

So our goal in this issue – and in all issues of Team Insight, for that matter – is to service the heck out of you — our readers, our customers. And if our 10 Solutions help you cross one item off of your to-do list today, well, then my day has been a success.

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