When I was young, I thought that my Uncle Robert was a superstar. Everyone in our little town of 10,000 people knew him. As I became a teenager, I came to the realization that there was a great big world outside of my little town, and he most certainly was not a celebrity, even though everyone in our little Podunk area knew him. Now, as an adult, I have come to understand fame a little better.
Robert drove a fruit truck in town. Basically, this means that he woke up around 3:00 in the morning, and drove out to Quincy Market (the real farmer’s market, not today’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace) and bought the freshest fruits and vegetables available. He would hit several farm stands on the way back to town, where he knew of good deals on excellent produce. He would organize all of the product into bins, and drive around, selling. All of the restaurants in town bought from him. His route took him to every business in town, and he sold to every worker. People would flag him down as he drove down the street, and buy their produce to use that night.
You can understand how I thought this was akin to being Elvis, when I was a small child. Everywhere we went there were people were pulling him over, and waving him down. Every time the truck stopped anywhere, a crowd formed around him, and people came out of the buildings to see him. Although this happened back in the 80’s, not too long ago, there was still a lot of bartering going on, so I’d see him giving away pounds of potatoes and taking a chicken in trade. I thought he was receiving gifts! How much more famous could he be!
I can look back on this, almost thirty years later, and realize that although he was not a celebrity, he certainly was famous. He did not reach millionaire status, but was able to live rather comfortably. He raised a family that understood hard work, and everyone in town knew where to go if they wanted fresh food. I’m sure the local supermarkets sighed in relief when he retired.
You have this same ability. Brand yourself. Become the absolute best place to buy your specific product from. Offer a level of service that no one else can compare to. To be cliché, go that extra inch, mile, etc. Use you business’s good reputation to grow. Use the social media tools of today to expand where businesses couldn’t in the past. Make your business famous, even if it is just locally, and you will be successful.
-Submitted by Chris Gregoire
The local touch; it makes a lot of sense. When I was little when my mom went clothes shopping (a rare event), the local mom and pop clothing store had a wonderful "human connection" When the kids started acting antsy, the pop would take the kids to get a snack ( ice cream or soda about 4 doors down) while mom shopped disentangled from her distractions (us.) Like your example above, in an "everybody knows your name" sort of scenario, people come back because they know the business owners actually show that they enjoy having the opportunity to sell to you.
ReplyDeleteA great commentary to think about. Thanks...I just realized I do go back to people who seem to enjoy my presence in their stores.