For more than 30 years Martha has been the owner of a popular and successful day spa. I hadn't seen her in a few years and we were having a great time catching up on each other's lives. Her mood shifted to a more worried tone when I asked her how her business was doing.
Martha said her business was just barely holding on. She blamed it on on new nail salons that have opened in great number. She felt the pinch when they only did nails but lately she learned that a number of her customers were also getting other services from these salons, such as lash and brow tints and brow arching and other services that she, too, offered.
I listened intently to Martha and didn't feel that I had enough information to comment on either her company or those rival nail salons. It wasn't long before I got a better idea of what was going on.
About one week later I was getting ready to go out of town and needed a manicure. Remembering the conversation with Martha I decided to go to her salon.
When I got there, I stood at the front desk for more than 10 minutes while the receptionist talked to her cellphone provider, complaining about unrecognized charges on her cell phone bill. When she completed the call she than wanted to tell me about the perils of buying into the family plan for your cell service.
Finally, she asked my name and started to flip through her appointment book in search of my name. When I told her that I didn't have an appointment she looked at me between squinted eyes and said, "You're kidding. Right?" She went on to say that there was no way that I could expect service without an appointment.
So, I left. I decided to see what the rival salons were like. I walked into one of these salons with absolutely no appointment and within! three minutes I was sitting at a table having a manicure that turned out to be nicely done. While having the manicure I asked the technician if her place did pedicures and if I could schedule one. I couldn't quite understand her broken English combined with her heavy accent, but I understood when she picked up my bag and guided me to the pedicure seat. And within minutes my feet were soaking in warm, soapy water in preparation for a foot massage and pedicure.
Like most busy working people we know that manicures and pedicures are important. And there is a great demand for these services. But sometimes making appointments can also prove inconvenient. The truth is, it represents another appointment on an already overcrowded appointment book.
The object of running a successful business is being able to service the needs of the customer. That means, you must give the customer what she wants, when she wants it, and in the way that best serves her needs. A number of salon owners have figured this out and are about the business of satisfying the customer.
Too often entrepreneurs will come up with an idea or vision and instead of checking on or researching buyer needs they plunge full steam into what they think the customer wants or worst yet, what is convenient for them. There is more to making a business successful besides the enthusiasm and optimism of the entrepreneur. Flexibility and the ability to respond to customer need is paramount.
I hope Martha takes the time to rethink her business practices and takes a closer look at how responsive and flexible she should consider being to the needs of her customers.
Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wednesdays. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.
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