Comments on: Treat Your Customers Like Potential Girlfriends

By: jameystegmaier

jameystegmaier — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:10:51 +0000

Oh, no. I’M the client. I’m paying them.

By: Red

Red — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:31:30 +0000

Unless I muisunderstand the working relationship you are looking for, they would be your client. If they are paying you, they get to take as much time as they want.

By: jameystegmaier

jameystegmaier — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:04:18 +0000

Hey, thanks for your 5 cents. I may have to disagree with your first point, though. A potential client is a potential client. I submitted the standard form on the Intridea website regarding what I was looking for. Even if they were deterred by something–say, the price range I was looking for–they could have done better than what they did by responding and saying they couldn’t accept the project.

It’s never too late to call her. But if it took you 1.5 weeks to call, that might be a signal to yourself that you’re just not that into her.

By: Red

Red — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:30:51 +0000

Sorry so late to chime in. Haven’t been reading recently. I was NOT on Vacation (people still get vacation time???).

1) While I am sure that Jamey did appropriate research before approaching this possible client, they had no idea. To them, you may just be another kook trying to get them to buy something. BTW, “In this economy”??? No one is looking to spend money “in this economy.”
2) Incentives.
Bryce… We have to believe in the goodness of humanity, or we become curmudgeons. Curmudgeons don’t get popcorn. Don’t be one.
“Do good things and good things will happen to you” (-My Name is Earl), Karma, The Golden Rule, whatever you want to call it. NOT a natural law. Rather a social philosophy. Everyone draws their own line. Another social law, if you are being paid to serve (whether your currency is Dolla Billz, popcorn or geriatrics) then do it, or expect to be fired.
4) Is 1.5 weeks too late to call her?
5) Richmond Center Schnucks is the BEST grocery store in STL.

SAN DIMAS HIGH FOOTBALL RULES!

By: jameystegmaier

jameystegmaier — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:58:24 +0000

Incentives, it’s all about incentives. I remember those days fondly. No place makes popcorn like Carmike does. I ate an incredible amount of popcorn that summer. That actually was a decent incentive for dealing with customers quickly and efficiently.

By: jameystegmaier

jameystegmaier — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:56:11 +0000

Nancy speaks the truth, although it’s essentially what I said, just a slightly different timeframe. And I still haven’t heard back from that company.

And yes, I hear from both of you that people go on vacation. That doesn’t make it good business. Seriously, how hard is it to put up an away message? Or, if you’re afraid that people are going to take that info and break into your home when you’re away, go virtual with a BlackBerry or iPhone.

By: Bryce

Bryce — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:25:21 +0000

I have two important things to say:

1. I thought all women were like the women in He’s Just Not That Into You. I mean, I haven’t seen/read it, but I thought the whole point of the book/movie was that it represented every woman who ever lived.

2. I also just got a call this morning from a dude that I was trying to buy something from, I called him last Tuesday. Reason for the delayed response…vacation. Apparently vacations are a real thing and they really do take people away from their phone/email. I would not know about this personally, but it seems, by anectdotal evidence, to be a very real phenomenon.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:57:36 +0000

Ok, I now must defend myself b/c I’m nothing like that crazy lady in “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Jamey was telling me how much he liked this particular guy’s work and that he’d be perfect for TypeTribe. Then he basically said, if this guy doesn’t e-mail me back by tomorrow (so 1.5 days to respond) I’m dropping him and moving on to someone else. I thought that was a little harsh esp. if he really likes the guy’s work and TypeTribe would benefit from him! So I was trying to defend the guy’s lack of response via electronic mail by saying he could be on vacation. It’s the summer! People are on vacation! I called a woman trying to set up tennis lessons with her and she didn’t call me back for a week! Wanna know why? She was on vacation! My point is have a little faith in people. Don’t write them off so quickly.

By: Bryce

Bryce — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:01:29 +0000

But we are good people Jamey and you can’t expect everyone to be good people without an incentive. And lets be honest I was only giving fast and courteous service so that I could people out of the line so I could get back to eating the free popcorn and drinking the free coke (in the cup that I brought from home) because contrary to popular belief I did NOT get tired of delicious buttery popcorn no matter how much I was around it and no matter how much I ate and no matter how much I took home with me after my shift. And yes, on multiple occasions I took home popcorn in what some would consider a “ten gallon garbage bag” but what to me was a perfectly normal popcorn bag and I don’t see any problem with it.

And you were only providing “good service” because you like to pat down 80 year old women.

So we did have incentives, just not financial ones.

By: jameystegmaier

jameystegmaier — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:49:04 +0000

Trev, you’re totally right–and no, I didn’t make that up! That was her real reaction. Maybe that’s not a stereotype. Maybe it’s true.