The ConsumHERist – What’s New?
Posted on | October 23, 2008 | 2 Comments
by Delia Passi
A young lady I know recently went through a traumatic and tragic life event, which pulled her from her new and exciting college life and thrust her into the role of head of household almost overnight. She went from worrying about making it to class on time and making good grades to striving to pull a fractured home together in short order so she could return to school.
Unfair and unexpected as it has been, this is a change in her life stage. She hasn’t been eased into adulthood. Her perspective on everyday life has changed dramatically, but she will adapt and move forward.
Elsewhere, thanks to the mess a lot of shortsighted and greedy businesspeople have created, all across the country and across the world, families are facing difficult economic times. Sometimes their troubles come from their overreaching to achieve the dream of owning a home, and sometimes they are reeling because of layoffs and cutbacks.
These families are also facing life altering circumstances. They too will alter their perspective on daily life, and sometimes will have to make significant adjustments to their hopes and dreams.
Some of your customers will be among those everywhere who are experiencing significant life events, both good and not so good, but they often experience it just outside of your view.  Maybe they are having a new baby, or entering retirement. Maybe they are sending kids off to college, or mourning a loss. It’s generally hard to tell. (Okay, having a baby is going to be a bit easier to tell, but not if your customer is a man.)
Customers don’t walk into your café, shop or office and announce all their latest news, but if you really want that customer to think of you as a special partner in their life, take a moment to ask, sincerely and not casually, what’s new in their life. If they know you, they are likely to appreciate your interest and share a thing or two. If they don’t know you then you’re missing an opportunity to bond with your customer. Get to know her. Establish a relationship. Most people will be more reluctant to switch from one business to another if they feel a personal connection.
Once you know what’s going on in their life it creates great opportunities to offer to help them fulfill their special needs. They’ll feel better about doing business with you, and you’ll feel better about helping them with their life.
 
Delia Passi, Founder of WomenCertified® and author of Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women is a regular columnist on eBrandMarketing.
Tags: life events > Life stages > retail experience > Selling to women > women consumers
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2 Responses to “The ConsumHERist – What’s New?”
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October 26th, 2008 @ 9:47 pm
[…] The ConsumHERist – What’s New? […]
October 29th, 2008 @ 6:21 am
Thanks for the good advice! I recently launched an online lingerie boutique, and am working to spread the word on a shoestring budget as the economic news around us is turbulent at best. I have found that narrowing my immediate focus down to women in my area, as opposed to trying to reach EVERYONE out in cyberspace, is probably what will keep me going until women across the board feel comfortable spending again.