Feuer's Foibles

Every day for the almost 35 years I have been involved in the HME industry, I have learned something new.

Actually, every business owner, manager and sales representative learns something new each day they go to work, talk with customers and speak with manufacturers. Business education abounds in every interaction we have with a customer or referral source. If you are attentive to your business and your work, it's almost like going to school.

I have found that in any business, it is not sweating the big issues that matters; it's sweating the small stuff. It's all about the foibles.

Merriam-Webster defines “foibles” as “minor flaws or shortcomings in character or behavior.” As a home care business owner, you see such flaws or shortcomings every day and likely wonder if they will really make a difference in your revenues. The answer is yes, they will.

I have often found myself a witness to business being escorted right out the door into the arms of a competitor.

While I accept the research that says up to 15 percent of our business is garnered from the mistakes of others, it is depressing to watch it happen right before your eyes. When someone neglects the customer or treats them in a way that they feel is unacceptable, there is always another provider standing ready to welcome them into their family of customers.

Allow me to share with you some situations I have seen that may almost seem unreal. But these scenarios are real, and any one of these eight foibles could be enough to cost you thousands and thousands of dollars worth of business. Perhaps reading about them might guide you as you interact with customers.

Keep in mind the states and locations may have been altered to protect the innocent, but the stories are real and no protection for the offenders.

Foible One

The man with the walker entering a store in Texas appeared to me to need assistance, but an employee told me workers could not be “jumping up and down helping every customer who had trouble maneuvering their walker as they come into the store.” If they did that, the employee added, they would never get their work done. I assumed customers were not this company's No. 1 priority.

Reminder: Your image, your reputation and your concern will be judged by every interaction you have with customers. Work to ensure that when the customer leaves your store, he or she will be talking about your efforts to extend yourself beyond the expected.