Virgil Winston:Marketing Guru
The wife and I were out shopping today and meandered into a wonderful little shop called “Bar Keeper” which was, not surprisingly, a store dedicated to the perfectly appointed home bar. The proprietor stocked all kinds of bar equipment—from fancy glassware to toothpick holders and everything in between. As I perused the antique martini glasses, I longed for the days where a man would come home from the office, hat in hand and his wife would greet him at the door with a perfectly made martini. Or perhaps I have been watching too much “Mad Men.” Since Mrs. Winston and I aren’t big drinkers, we don’t really require items such as flasks and shot glasses but we did spy an item we just had to have…or so we thought.
We love to drink spicy water, my son’s name for sparkling water, so we have talked about purchasing a soda maker that would allow us to make our own carbonated water at home. With some enthusiasm, my wife picked up a carbonated soda maker and exclaimed, “Look Virgil—we need this!” Much to my surprise the proprietor, Joe Keeper, sidled over and said, “No you don’t.” He then went on to explain that owning your own soda maker was not as cost effective as it seemed, since in order to carbonate the water, you also needed to purchase chargers which you can only use one time, necessitating buying many chargers again and again. He then ran the numbers and indeed, the whole operation was actually cost prohibitive. I was stunned. Joe talked us out of a one hundred dollar purchase. I felt so guilty that I bought a bottle of grapefruit bitters (excellent with spicy water) and Mrs. Winston picked up some smart cocktail napkins. Our small purchases certainly didn’t make up for the $100 he lost but that didn’t seem to bother Joe in the least. We left the store feeling cared for and I made a mental note to come back and pick up some special water glasses my wife had her eye on.
Joe did more than make a sale today—he created two customers and made this curmudgeonly marketer smile…something only a very good salesperson can do. I hope the marketing lesson is clear: Care for shoppers and they will soon become customers. It’s not about making that one time sale; it’s about building trust and creating a long-term relationship with people who will come to rely on your expertise and advice. So, in honor of Joe, today’s offering is the Vina Tall Wine Glass—it’s the perfect way to promote your company at the office holiday party and makes a charming keepsake for all the wine drinkers on your list.
Until next time, remember what Joe Keeper knows and my good friend Robert Half always says, “When the customer comes first, the customer will last.”