Listening by creating an environment where your customers can talk

6 lessons I learned from my mother running a small business on Main Street USA that have spanned the test of time.

I’ve spent 20 years in direct marketing but as I think about how marketing has changed in today’s highly competitive, overly fragmented environment, many of the core strategies remain the same. I grew up working in my family’s hardware store. My mom, who ran the store, was an extraordinary marketer (though she didn’t know it). Here’s some of what I learned from Main Street Iowa that is still relevant today.

Lesson # 6 – always listen to your customers.  Create an environment where you engage them to talk

Some would say my mom liked to talk.  She loved the social aspect of owning a small business.  She always looked for opportunities to make her customers feel comfortable to hang out and talk.  Coffee should have been part of the marketing budget as it was key to the strategy.  While the customers were talking, mom was always listening.  Then the next time she saw them, she’d engage with a bit of personal conversation that let them know she listened and she cared. 

So while the channels may have changed and listening can be done in many different ways, the value of listening has not diminished.  Watch how your view of the business changes when you feel like they have listened to your needs and engaged with you.  Social is more about listening than it is about talking!