People buy from People!
Posted on Mon, Oct 05, 2009
Today, Nathalie talks about pianos and people...
Doing research recently for piano purveyors, I found myself in a bit of a quandary.
I am a huge believer in the benefits of letting your personality shine (and I'm in good company). In fact I think that businesses that do well today are showing their human side and tapping into the idea that people buy from other people.
People! Not bots or telephone prompts. Real people, with personalities, quirks and little idiosyncrasies, that's what makes the process of interacting with a business, a true exchange between humans. While it's understandable that this becomes harder as growth happens, if the success of companies like Zappos teach us anything, it's that it is -in fact- possible.
So the decision to steer clear of the large piano franchise in the area (with the polished but largely uninspired website and a not-so friendly salesperson) and instead go with a local business (with a rudimentary but highly informative & charming website) was a very simple one. The website looked like something from 1997, but contained the entire life story of the owner as well as a lovely -if slightly verbose- chronicle of his passion for pianos. The owner's personality most certainly did shine through, and I was convinced this is where my business would land.
Fast forward to a few weeks later, and I am sad to report that I have compiled a litany of business basics that appear to have completely escaped my friend, the local piano guru. From returning my phone calls in a timely fashion, to reading emails or delivering when promised...the list is long, painful and unfortunate.
And here we come to my quandary...
- the big dogs without personality don't get my business
- the little mom and pops without business acumen don't keep my business
- will someone sell me a piano already!? sheesh!
Having existed as both a bootstrapped entrepreneur and a director in publicly traded industry leader, my take away is this:
The proverbial holy grail of success, in any venture, lies in the carefully choreographed dance between being good at what you do (expertise), while also being great at letting your personality shine and connecting with your audience through phenomenal customer service.
In my experience, few businesses do both of these things, and the ones that do, hold the cards for the future generation of businesses. And to the little ones who blame their size and limited resources for customer service failures, I would simply say...look over at the big dogs, blaming their size and scale for the distance and difficulty connecting to their audience.
Big, little, broad, or niche, no one has the edge here...let your personality shine. People -have always, and will continue- to buy from people!
Wish me luck on my search!