Go Beyond Selling:

Companies try differentiating in service, product, and price to have an edge over their competitors, to gain market share. Even with product, price differentiation, companies are struggling to increase profit and market share.
In a fine morning, I went with my sister to buy fishes from nearby fish market. As she went to buy fishes, I was observing morning business.
Here are my quick observation and reflection of that market. There were nearly seven fish stall; each had their display one after another. Almost everybody had similar kind of fishes not much of product differentiation. All had a good display set up, were looking visible and attractive but the customers were attracted to only one stall, where my sister also bought.
I was musing why not other stalls instead of this X woman stall? There were no absolute product, price, position differentiation. As I was observing, this X woman was addressing each and every customer as well known to her, at one time she called her regular customer walking by the road side and enquired about her family, kid and health. She maintained friendly relations with her customer which others failed to do.

She didn’t spend much of her time on negotiation, her price were reasonable and agreed for good price from the customer. Free cutting and cleaning service was provided to well known customer like my sister is another added value to her sale.

My sister came up to me and said come on I will introduce you to X fisher woman so you will get good fishes for cheaper price. When my sister introduced me to her, fisher woman said that she has seen me before and also promise to provide good service. Indeed, this is my third visit to that fish market but she said she has seen me has surprised me.

Acknowledging me and my sister request is another quality of her which made me to feel I am not a stranger to her. This woman had gone beyond selling to sell her product, I mean her personal relationship and respect for her customer were the secret for her success in the midst of heavy competition.

This is much related to retail sales and marketing. Retail company should go beyond selling to gain customer patronize. Go Beyond Selling is additional service, making customer comfortable, friendly, offering alternative, spending time, acknowledging , rendering help etc. Spending extra five or ten minutes with your customer will fetch you new businesses and customers.

Ezee business advices to GO BEYOND SELLING