PVF wholesalers can learn how
to improve customer loyalty from the fast-food giant.
I love McDonald’s.
No, they do not have the greatest hamburgers, and those “triple thick shakes”
are downright odd. Is there any milk in there? Or just soy product? Their
coffee actually sucks. But they are having another banner year because they do
what they do so well - and there is something to be learned
here.
So let’s start off with the trick question I ask my students in a marketing
strategy class every year. What does McDonald’s sell? Or to be more precise,
what do they sell better than anyone else that makes them so successful?
Usually a few hands go up. “Hamburgers,” someone volunteers. Another student
calls out, “Fast food.” Nope. That’s not
it.
Most anywhere you find a McDonald’s there is a place nearby that sells better
burgers, coffee or shakes. So people don’t go to McDonald’s because it offers
the best food or drinks. They go for something much more important:
Consistency, predictability. After about the age of 10 people really don’t like
surprises (not even on their birthday). We like to know what we are going to
get before we get it - even if we know we are going to get mediocre hamburgers,
so-so salads and really bad coffee.
That’s what McDonald’s sells. No matter where you are, you knowwith certaintywhat the eating
area will look like, what’s on the menu, what it will cost, how long it will
take to get your order processed, what the burger will taste
like.
The product is low-tech. Anybody can make a hamburger. In fact, most anyone can
make one that tastes better than McDonald’s. McDonald’s has no patents, no
trade secrets. Their work force is typically an unskilled, inexperienced, high-turnover
crowd.
And yet, McDonald’s is remarkably consistent - in product and service. This consistency drives their business (their
stock is up these last 12 months).
What can we here in the PVF business learn from McDonald’s? There are more
similarities than you might think.
Your customers can buy the same or equivalent valves at any of a number of
places. Your warehouse has no patents or trade secrets. The warehouse workforce
is often a low-skilled, high-turnover population. And what do your customers
want? Why do they come to you? For the
very same reasons they go to McDonald’s: They are looking for consistency and
predictability. They want the certainty that their PVF purchase will arrive on
time, the quality will be good, the certifications and paperwork will all be in
order, the bill will have the same look and feel, the terms will be the same,
the inside sales guy will be the same guy with whom they have spoken for
years.
The more you can do to deliver the repeatable comfort factor - the “I, the
customer, know exactly what I am getting; I know the how, when, where and why
of what I am getting; I know I will get no surprises.” - the more repeat
business you will get. The occasional bad customer service experience will wipe
out years of loyalty and totally throw a spanner into the mix. Even with
breadth and depth of inventory, great prices, etc., if the customer feels he
might get “surprised” somewhere down the line he will dump you. Remember, McDonald’s isn’t successful because
they make the best burger or a great cup of coffee. They keep customers coming
back again and again because they are so, so consistent.
Lessons From McDonald's
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