Man pops head above counter and fails!

I was doing a mystery shop for a funded piece of work recently, in which I had to visit a small shop, overlooking the sea but in a slightly run-down part of town. The retailer sells a commonplace but fairly technical household item that comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, styles and energy options.

I found the shop relatively easily and it had made quite a good effort at standing out from its neighbours through some fairly bold signage outside and a reasonably well-maintained shop front. The window display was OK but not particularly eye-catching.

On entering the business my first impression was of a strong smell of stale cigarette smoke; not a great start! This was quickly added to by a fairly run-down feel to the interior, with tired and peeling paintwork and only a few lights on, giving quite a gloomy atmosphere. Given the hard time that the majority of retailers have had through 2009 due to the economic climate, perhaps some of this is understandable. Nevertheless, the poor first impression was now reinforced.

It's great to get an acknowledgement from a member of staff within the first 15 - 30 seconds of entering a shop; a smile will do and it makes you feel welcome. In this case, what I witnessed was a male face pop up from behind a counter and immediately disappear again, without any acknowledgement whatsoever. I guess my presence in his shop had been noted, however!

After browsing for a minute or so, I approached the counter where the face had appeared and found a man kneeling on the floor, tinkering with a stock item. This is when I spotted the ash tray and stale cigarette butts on the counter. I asked for some assistance and he looked up, got up and faced me. I asked him if it was possible to obtain a replacement part for my product at home, not knowing if it was an orderable item or required a custom-build. A few words of reply from the shopkeeper but with little if any eye contact suggested that I might be lucky. A minute or two of silence ensued as the store holder buried himself in a catalogue. Then, gazing past me out of the window onto a horizon that clearly held more interest than did I, his potential customer, he announced that my part could be obtained in three finishes and in 16" or 18", for "about fifty quid". I guess he felt that this was enough information for me and that he had done his job well. My own feelings were somewhat different by now!

Now, call me Mr. Picky, but I wasn't sure whether that measurement given was width or height. And what about depth and some of the other subtle details I needed to know? How to fit it, perhaps? Delivery options and timings? What did "about fifty quid" mean, did that include VAT? Since nothing more was being offered, I quizzed the expert further and received one answer, "height". I asked what to do if it it was too tall and it was suggested that I could cut bits off with a hacksaw. Hmmm... Can you guess what was going through my mind at this point?

I picked out a pen from my pocket and fumbled for a piece of paper which I could not find. I reiterated the two sizes, saying I needed to write them down, lest I forget. It would have been nice to have been offered the back of a fag packet to write them on but nothing was forthcoming.

So I bade him farewell and walked out of there as quickly as I could. Will I ever go back? Of course not. Would I ever recommend him to a friend or a relative? Of course not.

Now, would you not think that the mystery shopper report for this business was surely an incredibly valuable piece of feedback for the shopkeeper who was also the business owner? I wonder when was the last time that he really had the customer's perception of his business put to him. Probably never.

Well, the report was shared with him by a colleague of mine and, whilst he was looking at the horizon, busily avoiding eye contact, we learned from him the following:

1. Customers that come in are generally timewasters.

2. He hates customers that come in and who don't know what they want.

3. He must be doing something right because he sold 20 units last year.

Now, let's look at those three points a little closer.

1. Customers that come in are generally timewasters. Well, I guess a timewaster is someone who comes in and doesn't actually buy anything. I may be jumping to conclusions but I'd hazard a guess that the majority of visitors to this particular business have received roughly the same experience that I and my colleague received - cool, impersonal and unhelpful. Not to mention their perceptions from their first impressions of this business. I doubt that anyone received an experience that actually made them feel welcome, valued and helped them to buy. So yes, I can see how he might perceive the 95% who leave quickly without making a purchase to be timewasters!

2. He hates customers that come in and who don't know what they want. Errm, hello, Mr. Shopkeeper - you are putting yourself out there as a retailer and you are selling a fairly technical product. There are so many variables: sizes, aesthetics, colours, energy options, efficiency considerations, capital investment, lifetime cost of ownership, safety, environmental aspects, fitting options, fitting processes, compatibility options... And he hates customers who come in and don't know what they want? I would be surprised if any average Joe could work their way through this lot and actually know what they want when they visit. Time to wake up and smell the coffee?

3. He must be doing something right because he sold 20 units last year. I'm not an expert but a typical cost of a complete unit, retail is about £1,500. I would suggest that we need to revisit point 1, above! How many more could he, should he have sold if his attitude to his customers was better?! And how many of those people would have told other people of the great experience they'd had, increasing visits to the shop still further?

I think this is a great example of how to get it wrong in business. If we can deliver to our customers a great first impression, backed up by a warm welcome and a helpful, engaging experience, we're much more likely to help them to buy. And they'll go away delighted, telling others who'll want to come in to enjoy a similar, memorable experience!

If you're not sure how your customers perceive your business, we can help you find out. Find us at www.shopperanonymous.co.uk/contact/kent