Category: Customer service

Do You Really Need It Tomorrow?

In general, we applaud Amazon’s march towards next day delivery. We use Amazon almost every day, and, for the most part, we think that they do a great job. We even have a new Amazon fulfillment center in our community, along with the 1500 jobs it brings.

Still, we know that shipping isn’t really free, and we know that next day delivery is going to cost even more.

You can get a case of gaffers tape from us, through Amazon with “free” shipping. It will cost you $395.76, no matter where you live in the country. Even if you are not an Amazon Prime member, you’ll still get it in two to three days.

You can get that case for a lot less, quite often just as quickly if you order direct.

An order placed directly at TheTapeworks.com shipped to Kansas City, MO. will also arrive in three days, but will only cost you $356.02.

The same case shipped to New York City will arrive in two days and cost $351.09 and you’ll get it in two days.

Order today from Raleigh, NC and your shipment will arrive tomorrow at a cost of $345.68.

Instead of free shipping, your invoice will show the true shipping cost via UPS ground and you can easily compare your savings to what you’d pay at Amazon.

TheTapeworks.com
Voice 866-386-8335
Fax 800-327-6651
Email sales@harrisonbros.com

Harrison Bros. Inc.
47 North Chatham Pkwy.
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Maybe The Customer Isn’t Always Right

I try to spend a few minutes each day reading up on ideas related to sound business practices. There is an unending source of good (and sometimes not so good) ideas for business management available.

One of the ideas that comes up over and over is the timeless concept that “the customer is always right”. After many years of selling specialty products online and through catalog sales, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

I field at least a couple of phone calls every day from a prospective customer who needs to be talked out of making a purchase from us. This is sometimes harder to do than one might think, but I would always prefer to lose a sale than to sell you the wrong item.

Over and over, a customer will try to talk me out of recommending that they not use a tape product for an outdoor application because it does not have UV protection and is not intended to stand up to exposure to sunlight.

Time after time, I have to convince a customer that using an extension cord of too small a gauge will create a fire hazard.

I wish I had a nickel for all the times I have tried (unsuccessfully) to convince a caller that the performance of a ProCell battery is identical to that of a Duracell CopperTop.

It has always been our hope that by creating web sites that were deep with information that we could lead customers to make the right choice-a purchasing choice that would provide a product that met their needs. The same theory is at work when we provide information that should help a prospective customer realize that they product they are considering is not the right item to meet their needs.

Sometimes we lose a sale by insisting that the customer is not always right, but, in the end, this is a lot more satisfying than trying to always make the sale.

Are you someone who believes that conventional business wisdom is not always the way to go? Share your thoughts with us!

TheTapeworks.com
Voice 866-386-8335
Fax 800-327-6651
Email sales@harrisonbros.com

Harrison Bros. Inc.
47 North Chatham Pkwy.
Chapel Hill, NC 27517les.

No Competition In Your Rear View Mirror? That Usually Means Trouble

rear view mirrorAn interview in on of my favorite trade journals talked with someone who had started a very successful manufacturing business.  Most of the interview had good insights about starting and maintaining a business, but I was shocked at the founders answer to this question:

When asked about his competition, his response was that “we take pride in not concerning ourselves with it.  The moment we look back, we are no longer leading.”

If you are not willing to look back to see who might be nipping at your heels, then don’t be surprised when you look forward and see someone who you always thought of  as your trailing competition is now leaving you in the dust.

It’s great to see yourself as the leader, but that isn’t worth much if no one’s following.

TheTapeworks.com
Voice 866-386-8335
Fax 800-327-6651
Email sales@harrisonbros.com

Harrison Bros. Inc.
47 North Chatham Pkwy.
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Is It Time To “Fire” Some Customers?

One of the most annoying platitudes in all of business is “the customer is always right”. Who are you kidding?

Here’s where that old trope gets it wrong

Any business that automatically stands on the side of the customer instead of their own employees is going to be a very unhappy place to work. While it is true that without customers, there is no business, it is also true that with only demanding, entitled and arrogant customers, there is no need for the business.

Want a happy workplace?  You can start here

A happy company exists first for its employees and second for its customers. Employees who feel valued, who feel secure and who feel empowered will find a way to see to it that the customers are happy without the loss of face, the surrendering of dignity or the lack of self worth that comes from always putting the customer first, regardless of how unreasonable they are.

If you can have confidence that by empowering employees to meet reasonable expectations from your customers, then they will soon believe that exceeding those expectations will keep the customer coming back.

If this describes a customer, it’s time to let them go

If the customer is unreasonable, has unrealistic expectations or thinks that they own you because you want their money, they you need to fire them. There is somebody else ready to take their place.

TheTapeworks.com
Voice 866-386-8335
Fax 800-327-6651
Email sales@harrisonbros.com

Harrison Bros. Inc.
47 North Chatham Pkwy.
Chapel Hill, NC 27517