RETAIL STRATEGIES

by TOM SHAY

Speaking at a conference recently , I ran into someone who had attended a session I gave in their state 20 years ago . We exchanged memories about that experience as well as the industry they were a part of — chimney sweeps .

As we spoke , I recalled an individual who had stood out in this industry , Lucky Dale , because of his unique experiences with customers . I remembered his tradition of sharing a business card with a cartoonish drawing of a chimney sweep . Having this card , the holder became a “ junior sweep .” Because the traditional story of a sweep brings you good luck , he left each customer with a small black plastic chimney sweep , intended as a sign of good luck .

Another interesting aspect of Lucky Dale : If a child was present at the end of his work , he would kneel before the chimney and extend his hand up into it , as though to give the chimney one last inspection . Imagine the surprise on the child ’ s face when this sweep produced and handed the kid a small piece of red cloth that was “ stuck in the chimney .”

There was a woman who called for his services one day , only to find out that Lucky Dale had retired , and his son had taken over the business . The woman implored Lucky Dale to make the call alongside his son . The experience with Lucky Dale and his son went exactly as just described for the woman ’ s daughter .

The woman thanked Lucky Dale for the visit , and reaching on the mantle , she produced a card , plastic chimney sweep , and piece of red cloth that was her

PHOTO CREDIT : © VCHALUPE - STOCK . ADOBE . COM remembrance of her experience with Lucky Dale when she was a child . She had asked Lucky Dale to make the visit because she wanted her daughter to have the same experience .

There have been sweeps I have met who are very professional and highly qualified in performing their jobs . There is nothing negative that can be said about their work . But when a person like Lucky Dale comes along , they move the bar by which everyone else in the industry is compared .

It comes down to the manager or owner of the business making decisions . Are they happy with the way customers see their business ? Do they run business as a “ fast follower ,” because they observe what other businesses do and they duplicate what they see ?

And then there are the “ bruised and battered ” leaders who read a story like the one of Lucky Dale , and look for ways to make the experience with their business become something different .

There will always be businesses owned by people like Lucky Dale who have customers that can remember the experience they first had some 30 years ago . And then there will be businesses that find the need to do “ item and price ” advertising in traditional or social media each week , so they can ask the customer to remember that same business whose ad they saw just one week ago .

Traditional advertising is for when constant reinforcement is required to have a customer think of you . And unfortunately , sometimes what attracts a customer to your business is your having a price that is lower than everyone else ’ s . That ’ s not magic .

The magic is being memorable . Being more than a slogan , with this permeating everything and everyone within your business . •

Tom Shay is a lifelong small-business owner and manager . He has authored 12 books on small business management ; a college textbook on small business financial management and co-authored a book on retailer / vendor relations . www . stateways . com Winter 2023 • StateWays 7