I was speaking to a friend, who related his disappointment about an experience he’d had with a luxury-car dealer. My friend is a loyal customer when it comes to the brand, having owned four of their cars in the past. He loves them so much that he was recently considering purchasing their top-of-the-line model—the highest end of the highest end.
My friend contacted the dealership to inquire about any specials or package deals he might be offered as a loyal customer considering their top-of-the-line model. To his surprise, he was immediately “shut down” by the salesperson, whom rather curtly replied to the negative, adding, “There isn’t enough inventory to offer such a thing.” Ouch! My friend felt reduced to a cog in the wheel of supply and demand, rather than a valued, loyal customer.
I couldn’t help but contrast this with an experience I had as a hotel concierge, when a well-known restaurateur called to invite me to lunch at his very busy, very trendy new eatery. I happily accepted, eager to share the “scoop” about the new establishment with my guests and co-workers.
After a delightful lunch, my curiosity got the best of me. After thanking him profusely, I had to ask, “The restaurant is already doing a landslide business. I’m wondering why you took the time to take me to lunch when it really isn’t necessary.”
You don’t exactly need referral business .He summed up his answer in two words: “Not today.”
In essence, there’s more to doing business than reacting to today’s ratio of supply and demand. The restaurateur realized his was a fickle industry. He counted on loyal customers and continuing word-of-mouth referrals to help ensure his new eatery wouldn’t go by the wayside as just another flash-in-the-pan success.
Imagine him responding to a dinner guest’s request for vegetables instead of fries with: “There are no substitutions. We have plenty of customers and don’t need to trouble ourselves with deviating from our menu.”
You just never know when the tide will turn. Ebb or flow, it always makes sense to do everything within your power to delight your customers, clients and guests. Shutting them down one day may ultimately result in the same thing happening to your business the next!