DealerKnows
Where Do I Start?
  • Services
    • Training
    • Consulting
    • Creative Video
    • CRM Accountability
    • CRM Analysis
    • Professional Speaking
    • Bundles
  • Products
    • TaskTeacher
    • PriceMatrix
    • Dealer Forensics
  • Clients
    • Results
    • Reviews
  • About
    • Joe Webb
    • Bill Playford
    • DK Team
    • Ask the Experts
  • Blog
  • Videos
    • Funny Videos
    • Educational Videos
    • Dealership Videos
    • Conference Videos
    • Make Me A Star
  • Contact Us
  • Services
    • Training
    • Consulting
    • Creative Video
    • CRM Accountability
    • CRM Analysis
    • Professional Speaking
    • Bundles
  • Products
    • TaskTeacher
    • PriceMatrix
    • Dealer Forensics
  • Clients
    • Results
    • Reviews
  • About
    • Joe Webb
    • Bill Playford
    • DK Team
    • Ask the Experts
  • Blog
  • Videos
    • Funny Videos
    • Educational Videos
    • Dealership Videos
    • Conference Videos
    • Make Me A Star
  • Contact Us
Where Do I Start?

The Nuts and Bolts of Customer Experience

Share With:

We’re seemingly bombarded by articles discussing “the Apple Experience,” or “the Disney Experience,” or the old standby “Nordstrom Experience.” What’s simply ignored is that these companies offer premium products and services. We just blindly accept it, and move on. Since we always use these premium examples, the door stands wide open for cynics to write-off these experiences because people willingly pay extra for them. We all probably hear “you get what you pay for” at least once a week.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer you a story to the contrary.

My wife and I found a really nice wooden swing set and playhouse recently, and my father-in-law was gracious enough to help us pick it up (it’s always good to know someone with a truck and trailer). Everything was in great shape, however several pieces of hardware had rusted, and we ended up needing to replace a few things. After we dropped everything off at the homestead, we took off to the nearest hardware store for a few nuts and bolts.

Hanover, MI is not what anyone would consider a big town. It’s best described as a farming community, with a gas station, a small grocery, a fire station, a small factory, and, of course, a small hardware store. With less than 450 residents, there isn’t an Apple store, most can only dream to visit Walt Disney World, and it’s highly likely no one knows what a Nordstrom’s is, let alone where to find one. Fortunately, it doesn’t need any of those things for its residents to understand what a good customer experience is.

As we entered the hardware store, I was treated to a carefully choreographed ballet of phenomenal customer service. My father-in-law (a Vietnam veteran, and Michigan Bell retiree-turned-hobby farmer) was greeted by name, as the manager was already ambling toward us. After explaining what type of hardware we needed, he grabbed a small paper sack and a pen, and escorted us to the appropriate aisle. He then proceeded to write down on the sack the cost and the quantity of the items as my father-in-law read off each piece (I’m pretty sure they’ve done this before). All I had to do was stand back and grin. The whole transaction lasted less than ten minutes, all at a whopping cost of $10.29. I was dazzled.

This same thing happens at small hardware stores around the country. Customers bring in the most random of broken parts, screws, and fixtures, and some cheerful employee leads them right where they need to go. It happens with predictable frequency after customers get blown-out of big-box hardware stores. Whether it’s a $0.06 nut, or a $3,500 lawn tractor, the service is always the same. Exceptional.

If you find yourself needling a little inspiration, drive past the Apple store. Keep going past the bookstore. Keep driving until you’ve left the suburbs behind. Drive to the nearest small-town hardware store. It might be all the inspiration you need.

DealerKnows Hanover
Bill Playford • June 6, 2014 • Leadership and Sales Management,Sales Training

Tell Me About It

Click here to cancel reply.

  • Best Of
  • Most Read
  • 3 Important Questions That Need Answering for 2023
    By Bill Playford
    December 19, 2022
  • sales questions - DealerKnows4 Basic Categories of Sales Questions You Need to Know
    By Joe Webb
    October 24, 2022
  • Screen door on a submarine - Accountability , DealerKnowsAccountability and the Management Screen Door
    By Bill Playford
    May 1, 2022
  • improv comedyHow Improv Comedy Builds Companies
    By Joe Webb
    July 2, 2019
  • sales managementThe Manager Who Doesn’t: A Guide to Better Sales Management
    By Joe Webb
    June 2, 2016
  • sacred cowCan you Kill a Sacred Cow?
    By Joe Webb
    January 12, 2016
  • The LeftoversWhat Happens When They Disappear?
    By Bill Playford
    August 29, 2015
  • DealerKnows CurmudgeonsFamous Last Words: The Way We Have Always Done It
    By Bill Playford
    July 26, 2014

Categories

  • All About BDCs
  • Ask the Expert
  • Comic Strips
  • Competitive Edge
  • DealerKnows Data
  • DealerKnows Press
  • DealerKnows Testimonials
  • Digital Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Conferences
  • Gotta’ Share
  • Internet Strategy
  • Lead Management and Process
  • Leadership and Sales Management
  • Quotables
  • Sales Training
  • Small Business Consulting
  • Social Media and Reputation Management
  • Technology
  • Vendor Relations
  • Websites and Online Search

Search Posts

Sign Up for DealerKnews

There are craptastic newsletters, then there is DealerKnews. Get all of our posts without having to set up a RSS feed. Start getting a monthly megadose of geniusness. Its like steroids for your brain.

Latest from the Blog

The 4 Questions a BDC Manager Must Answer Before Becoming a Leaderby Joe WebbRead blog post

Contact us

We really, really, really want to talk to you.

Get In Touch with Us

Sign Up for DealerKnews

There are craptastic newsletters, then there is DealerKnews. Get all of our posts without having to set up a RSS feed. Start getting a monthly megadose of geniusness. It’s like steroids for your brain.

© 2025 DealerKnows | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use