No, I Don’t Want to Give You My Zip Code

By Gary Berg

A few years ago I traveled to Menomonie, Wisconsin, to visit my parents. My Mom asked me if I would take her to the bank. As we got into the car she made the simple statement: "I hope Donna is working today."

"Who’s Donna?" I asked her. My Mom just smiled and said, "Oh she is just a really helpful person who works there."

When we got to the bank I decided to see for myself who Donna was. As we entered I noticed the bank had three teller lines open: one was open with no waiting and one had a single person in it. My Mom took her place as the fourth person in the third line . . . the teller in that third line had to be Donna!

I watched as she helped her customers. What she did so well was treat each person with respect and individual attention. She listened and looked them in the eyes and genuinely and thoughtfully answered their questions. Like my Mom said – she was just really helpful. What a great concept!

As I drove back to St. Cloud I thought about what I had witnessed. What struck me was how from time to time we all need to ask the questions: Do we know and understand our clients? Do we truly serve them the best way possible? What makes our customers willing to wait in line (in person, on the phone or on-line) to do business with us?

All organizations can benefit from taking a time out to evaluate their sales and marketing practices and policies. While some techniques might gain information for the company and short-term profits, they also create long-term negative impressions.

During my recent holiday shopping experiences I’ve been asked for my zip code, my phone number, my email address, to apply for a store credit card, to sign up for magazine subscriptions, to become a member of an exclusive "saver’s club," to buy an extended warranty on an item for which I paid less than $50, and to add money to my purchase to donate to the charity of the store’s choosing. Not one of these requests enhanced my shopping experience.

The honest person-to-person communication that Donna exemplifies creates long term, loyal customers that most businesses rely on – in fact, it creates customers willing to wait in line and that is a ringing endorsement to this method of doing business.

Suffice it to say that saying "thank you" and saying "I hope your purchase today works out great for you!" and actually helping the customer goes a lot farther in building valuable customer relationships than asking for a zip code.

Remember – the last impression can certainly be a lasting impression.

Gary Berg is CEO of G.L. Berg Entertainment in St. Cloud, Minn.