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SALON ACQUA: The power of paying attention.
When it comes to building a service sector brand, nothing is more powerful than employees who really care about their customers, act on that sentiment, and do so with humility, good humor, and affection. When employees act invisibly - with no self-interest - it powerfully drives a point home: “Nothing matters more to us than you do.�
We’re learning that brand experiences actually begin before they begin. Our experiences – and the associations that are attached to the experience – are shaped from the time we decide to patronize a person or business, not when we actually go inside or “start.�
It isn’t fair, and it isn’t rational, but bad things that happen around otherwise good experiences can taint those experiences. For example, think about getting a parking ticket when you’re inside getting a haircut. That ticket creates an unsavory ending to an otherwise good beginning and middle.
Late last week, my wife went to her favorite salon to get her hair done. Never one to sit idly, gaze about and daydream, she took her laptop with her to get some work done. When Wendy works, she concentrates. Someone would have to interrupt her if the world were ending. She would go on, oblivious to the events.
Parking rules are vigorously enforced in Arlington. Having parked at a 30-minute meter, Wendy didn’t have nearly enough time for the touch-up that her young-looking, impeccably groomed self required. But, having immersed herself in work, she forgot about her meter time – and when she remembered that she forgot, she panicked and raced out the door, hoping for mercy from the parking Gods.
She discovered, to her amazement, plenty of time left on the meter. Miraculous Monica (she gives unbelievable scalp massages) had been putting quarters in the meter. Monica never asked where Wendy parked, what kind of car she was driving, or anything else. She pays attention and took care of it, unbidden and without mention. If Wendy hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t have known how her parking time had been magically extended.
Wendy was impressed and grateful.
Our friend, Johnny, who owns Salon Acqua, has built a culture of service, warmth, and excellence among his staff. Every time I go in there I feel like a long-lost, beloved family member returning home. I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. And neither would Wendy, whose standard for service has just been raised again.
If you, like me, want the real thing when it comes to great personal care services, I recommend Salon Acqua. No matter what – don't skip the shampoo and scalp massage!
http://salonacqua.com/website.html
Posted on January 30, 2006 08:15 AM | Permalink
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Comments
This is a very interesting commentary. For me, it sets my mind wondering what the parking meter situations are in my own clients' interactions with us.
Personal attention and service, I think, changes with the scope of a business. A hair salon is an intimate setting, with all customers interacting with the staff on site, probably within a couple thousand square feet or less - a more controlled environment. What happens when a business' clients are spread all over the continent, and perhaps the globe? Maybe you've never even met some of them. How does this sort of intimate attention to and care for clients translate into that sort of setting?
In my own practice, one tactic we use is what we affectionately call around here 'the time zone shuffle', taking care to watch what time zones we're calling and not to interrupt lunches, for instance, or perahps to sacrfice one of our lunches to make a conference call more convenient for a client or hang around the extra two hours at night to be available at the end of a west coast client's day.
But the parking meter thing... what's special about that is that it's unexpected, above and beyond... a genuinely caring surprise. How do we accomplish this sort of thing on a larger scale?
Thanks for a blog entry that has again made me think about another critical issue for my own business. I am sitting here jingling quarters in my hand and wondering how far I might be able to reach with them.