Attract New Customers, Retain Existing Ones By Knowing Your Product Well
Over the past week, we’ve been talking to ProStores web store merchants about becoming an expert in their industries. Establishing product knowledge helps them attract new customers and retain old ones.
Matthew Phillips, who sells coffee beans, service, and equipment at his online store Essential Wonders, spends a lot of time honing his
staff’s expertise. He considers it
an old school model that puts customers first.
“In the 1970s and 80s, that's what everyone was doing. Then in the 90s the big box retailers said that customers only cared about pricing. But in the last 10 years, America is reverting back," he explains. "Big companies like Walmart are having trouble because they’re basing their business on price, not service.
“Every single person that works at Essential Wonders knows every single thing about every single product we sell. We’re traveled to all the plants, and we’ve all been educated.”
Essential Wonders also offers free lifetime technical support and installation assistance over the phone – something even manufacturers don’t offer. “A lot of people who call a manufacturer stay on the phone for 20 minutes, can’t get the information, and then they get charged a fee,” Matthew points out. Because his staff is so well trained, the people who run the online coffee community CoffeeGeek often refer their users to him because they know his staff can answer all their questions.
“We get a lot of compliments for our product knowledge, because we’re here to take care of customers.” That commitment seems to be working. Essential Wonders is grossing $500,000 a year, and business in growing.
