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Respect Your Customers, or Lose Their Business
Customers Are Like Books: Don’t Judge the Cover
You've probably heard the story of the old scrap yard owner who wanted a nice car. Because he was busy, he went in his work clothes to one car dealer after another. Salespeople blew him off, thinking he wasn't qualified to buy.
At one car dealer, a young salesman showed the man several cars. He selected an expensive Cadillac. When asked how he wanted to pay, he said, "Cash," pulled an envelope from the top of his bib overalls and bought the car.
In another case, a landlord was cleaning and upgrading an apartment. In his work clothes, he went to a couple of carpet stores, but couldn't get much attention. At one store he was treated politely and shown many samples in various price ranges. He bought carpet for his entire 12-unit building.
More recently, there have been many complaints by women about how they are treated at car dealerships, according to Fortune.
A pregnant woman, who happened to be the CEO of a big corporation, wanted a bigger vehicle for her family.
At the dealerships she and her husband visited, answers to her questions about vans were directed to her spouse.
Though no effort was made to determine her individual financial status, when it came time to finance the car, she was asked who would be the co-signer on the loan.
As always, it's best to treat all customers with equal respect. They deserve it. And you can't know in advance whether they are real buyers or not. In business, as in life, it’s best to use the “Golden Rule” when dealing with others.