Yesterday, I was walking around Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland with my girlfriend. It’s the typical runner or fitness nut’s hangout in a similar way to Bayshore Blvd in Tampa or your local park or track. All you can see are people everywhere working on their fitness—running, rollerblading, pushing strollers, or walking their dogs like the old school guy with the giant Discman who was actually dragging his poor dog.
www.fitniche.com - Locations in Lakeland, Wesley Chapel, and Clearwater
As we made our way back to the car I noticed a bunch of people huddled around some water coolers filling those tiny little cone-shaped paper cups with ice-cold water. I said, “Oh that’s nice that the city puts water out here,” but in my mind I was thinking “How inefficient why don’t they just put a water fountain out here and save time and money.” Laura said, “No that’s from a local running store called FitNiche.” As I looked closer I could see their logo on the cooler. I knew nothing about this store, but at that moment I was instantly impressed with their marketing savvy. I looked around and I saw athletic runners, similar to the ones I see at races I have participated in, (I’m the guy bringing up the rear at those events). For pennies and a few minutes a day, FitNiche is able to showcase their brand to the audience who is most likely to use their products and services. Even more important than being cheap and easy marketing, their potential customers receive a sense of the level of care they could receive from FitNiche and a small but valuable emotional connection. “You gave me water when I was thirsty.” Kind of simple, but so powerful when you think about it. Sort of like stopping to help someone when their car is broken down, chances are that person will always remember that for a long time.
Not to get all mushy, but do you care about your customers and the ones you haven’t earned yet? If you do care about them, how far are you willing to go to show them that you do care? It doesn’t have to be a huge production with business coaches or consultants, it could be as simple as putting some refreshing water out for your thirsty customers. Your customers are thirsty for something more than just cheap prices and gimmicks, but they want to be engaged on a different level. If you don’t care about them, don’t worry they will quench their thirst somewhere else.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” — John C. Maxwell
Good Reads
- The Viral Power of Raw Emotions; by Tim Sanders
- How to Celebrate Your Customers; by Heidi Cohen
- Competing on Service: Eleven Ways to Beat the Competition by “Hugging” Your Customers