So let me start with what it is not – it is not just doing your job, it is not just sticking to the company processes and it is not simply smiling at a customer as they leave the store. It is using every discretionary piece of effort you have to ensure that every customer feels like they are the most important customer to ever grace the store in fact they should feel like they are the only customer to every shop there. Okay I do recognise the lunacy of my demand but I find it fascinating they ever know and then this does actually happen and that is the goal of this blog. I would love to hear from anyone and everyone who has ever had a “That’s no way to run a business” moment and lets start saying thank you to those companies who have recruited some amazing people who just get it. The biggest challenge we face is that for the most part front line staff who spend 90% of there time in direct contact with  your staff are unfortunately also usually the lowest paid members of your staff. I get the irony and yet today I had another TNWTRB moment.

After managing to tear my ACL playing over 35’s basketball – no I clearly didn’t get the memo that after 40 you are not as talented as you were when you were 21 – I am deep into a 3 month rehab program. Due to some structural deficiencies which I wont bore you with I needed to get some compression skins to support my old tired muscles while I run. After searching online I soon realised this was not going to be a cheap afternoon – but I headed off to the local sports store to try my luck.

10 minutes of staring at black Lycra a young lady approached me and asked if she could help, I took her through my needs and she showed me two versions I could try on. After squeezing into them and gaining a much deeper respect for people who need to wear any form of compression clothing for medial reasons I was still unsure. The young lady asked a few more questions and realising i was not sure about all of this suggested I try just the calf version – in essence instead of buying the $200 full leggings I take the $60 version which only extends around my calf. She furthermore reminded me that they had a 47% sale on due to their birthday celebrations, which ultimately brought the price down to around $30. So after about hour after walking into the store I paid for my weird looking calf compression Lycra and headed home.

Reflecting back this young lady not only helping me in my decision making, she also saved me $170. The 45 min she spent with me resulted in a $30 sale which i am sure barely covered her actual wage – but you can be guaranteed I will be heading back there next time I need something

SPORTSMART

That is no way to run a business!