Comments on: Birds fly away, and so do customers http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html Author, Speaker, Consultant: Ideas on Creating Profitable Customer Relationships Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:00:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Amanda Cullen http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html/comment-page-1#comment-476 Amanda Cullen Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:12:06 +0000 http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html#comment-476 Sure, the Men's Wearhouse was better than Macy's. That's why we bought a suit there instead of at Macy's. There was nothing synergistic about the experience, though. I suspect the poor sales guy had some quota to meet, and the company's metrics got in the way of his common, good sense. I liked him as a person, but his company-dictated goals were not in line with what makes for a good customer experience. Oddly, though, I usually love to be ignored in stores. I love the IKEA model where "all the information is on the tag." Tags can't try to weasel a little bit more commission out of you and are friendlier than the average store clerk. Rest assured, if I knew what measurements to take for my husband's suit, we would have loved not being bothered at Macy's. Sure, the Men’s Wearhouse was better than Macy’s. That’s why we bought a suit there instead of at Macy’s.

There was nothing synergistic about the experience, though. I suspect the poor sales guy had some quota to meet, and the company’s metrics got in the way of his common, good sense. I liked him as a person, but his company-dictated goals were not in line with what makes for a good customer experience.

Oddly, though, I usually love to be ignored in stores. I love the IKEA model where “all the information is on the tag.” Tags can’t try to weasel a little bit more commission out of you and are friendlier than the average store clerk. Rest assured, if I knew what measurements to take for my husband’s suit, we would have loved not being bothered at Macy’s.

]]> By: Larry Kaufman http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html/comment-page-1#comment-470 Larry Kaufman Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:58:44 +0000 http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html#comment-470 As marketers, don't we have to concede that the Men's Wearhouse experience is better than the Macy's experience? On another day, you might welcome the synergistic selling efforts as beneficial, aimed at putting you into a coordinated outfit. It's hard to imagine a day, though, when you really want to be ignored. As marketers, don’t we have to concede that the Men’s Wearhouse experience is better than the Macy’s experience? On another day, you might welcome the synergistic selling efforts as beneficial, aimed at putting you into a coordinated outfit. It’s hard to imagine a day, though, when you really want to be ignored.

]]> By: Steve Yastrow http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html/comment-page-1#comment-419 Steve Yastrow Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:33:55 +0000 http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html#comment-419 The Mens Wearhouse salesman would probably love to put you in a cage so you could buy from him whenever he is ready. The metaphor seemed so obvious to me as I tried to walk up to the birds! The striped bird is called a "duchifat" (sp?) in Hebrew, and hoopoe in English. (I'm not a bird expert - Ezra knew) The Mens Wearhouse salesman would probably love to put you in a cage so you could buy from him whenever he is ready.

The metaphor seemed so obvious to me as I tried to walk up to the birds!

The striped bird is called a “duchifat” (sp?) in Hebrew, and hoopoe in English. (I’m not a bird expert - Ezra knew)

]]> By: amanda http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html/comment-page-1#comment-418 amanda Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:23:32 +0000 http://yastrow.com/2008/birds-fly-away-and-so-do-customers.html#comment-418 I felt just like one of those birds last night at the Men's Wearhouse, where we were buying my husband a suit. The salesman tried to sneak up to us with an additional sport coat, shirt and tie or cedar hanger, and we would run away! After we avoided all his traps and made our way to the check-out, he was poised with his net as he asked for our email address, thinking surely someday he'd capture us. Macy's was even worse, though. It was like a nature preserve where we could run free amongst the suits with no one to take my husband's measurements. That's a stunning striped bird, by the way. What is it? I felt just like one of those birds last night at the Men’s Wearhouse, where we were buying my husband a suit. The salesman tried to sneak up to us with an additional sport coat, shirt and tie or cedar hanger, and we would run away! After we avoided all his traps and made our way to the check-out, he was poised with his net as he asked for our email address, thinking surely someday he’d capture us.

Macy’s was even worse, though. It was like a nature preserve where we could run free amongst the suits with no one to take my husband’s measurements.

That’s a stunning striped bird, by the way. What is it?

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