The Everyone Trap

My oldest daughter and I have the same conversation almost every week.  It usually goes like this:

Kate:  "When can I get a cellphone?"

Me:  "For the 134th time, when you need one." (The only thing that changes is that the number goes up each time she asks.)

Kate: "But I need one."

Me:  "Did you have a need to call someone and not have access to a phone?"

Kate: "No.  But I still need a phone."

Me:  "Why is that?" (I don't know why I bother to ask this question because I know what's coming.)

Kate: "Because everyone else has one."

The conversation will go on a lot longer if I ask her who "everyone" is but I know for a fact that Kate is not the only student in the whole sixth grade who doesn't have a cellphone.  Many do, but not everyone.

I've never said we won't buy her a phone, I've said that we'll get her a phone when there is a need.  But rather than focus the discussion on why she needs a cellphone, she gets tripped up because of her perception of "everyone" else.

The same thing happens to adults, too. (You knew I had to eventually get it back to retail and management or I would have to rename this The Weekly Parent Experience.) Lumping "some" into "everyone" can actually cause people to make poor decisions that do impact everyone - and the bottom line.

I had a call last week with a retailer whose store is losing money.  At one point she said, "But everyone is struggling."  First and foremost, not everyone is struggling and I can guarantee that not everyone is losing money.  What matters is what is happening in her store and what she's doing to stem the losses.

I've also heard over the last few weeks:

* Everyone has stopped buying. If that's the case why are retailers letting people walk out of the stores with their products?  And why are the thieves standing in line at the register before stealing?

* Everyone is asking for a discount.  Some are looking to pay less but if every customer is looking for a discount then I suspect your pricing is way out of line.

I've also heard "everyone" comments about employees, vendors, and the business community as a whole.

The minute we starting talking about "everyone" we've given up the ability to manage or control our own destiny.

If the staff thinks all customers are cutting back then they will miss making sales to all of those people who are spending money. If they believe that all customers are asking for a discount they'll go into each customer engagement in a defensive mode that will cost sales.  You can't work successfully with a vendor if you think all of them are changing how they do business. 

As specialty retailers we succeed one customer at a time. There is no "everyone." There's just someone. An individual "someone" in front of us or on the phone; someone with a unique life and a unique set of circumstances.

Don't fall into the "everyone" trap.  Not only will staying out of that trap help you be a more successful retailer during challenging times but if you're a sixth grader it might even help you get your first phone.

Have a great week!

Comments

[Rizwan]

Nice post and neatly linked :) The everyone trap is a very relevant observation, especially right now.

Regards

Rizwan
http://www.multichannelthinking.com

[Jewellery Recruitment]

Great post and very true!