SVI Magazine

Generally it has come on in leaps and bounds, from a geek-run business for geeks, with poor service and a degree of contempt for non expert customers, to one that is still enthusiast run but understands the value of, and delivers, good service to novices and the experienced alike.

Recently, however, I made a move that is probably akin to a die-hard vinyl lover buying a digital streamer – I bought a road bike! Both are products that basically do the same thing, i.e. play music or, in the case of the bikes, go from A to B; but there can be a ‘never the twain shall meet’ attitude between the lovers of one or the other product categories. And so it was with the bike shop that I went to – they specialised (excuse the pun, bike people) in nothing but road bikes, and even though they are expanding, they still won’t be stocking anything other than pure road machines.

It’s an interesting take on retailing. On the one hand it really allows them to be the knowledge kings, the place where discerning customers go for expert advice and the best products; on the other hand, it could be argued that they are missing a potentially lucrative business opportunity by not selling mountain bikes, folding bikes and the like.

There’s no right and wrong way here, it’s up to each business owner to structure their business as they see fit. But it’s interesting to look at how it would relate to our industry. Would we be comfortable running a shop that sold only vinyl equipment or only valve amps, rather than a cross section from vinyl to iPod docks? Some do, I know, but I would argue it is a risky strategy: the difference between the two industries, and the reason they are able to specialise as much as they do, is market size. The UK Hi-Fi industry is worth around £200-million (source: GfK), whereas the UK bike market is worth between £750-million and £1-billion (source: The Association of Cycle Traders). Interestingly, Halfords accounts for between 25% and 33% of the market – imagine if we saw a situation where one retailer owned that much of our market (keep a watch over your shoulder for the yellow branded giant!).

a case in point
But the point I really want to make is: there are some valuable lessons to be had from my experience. I was in the market for a road bike so that I could get some serious miles in as training for mountain biking. I approached it as any newcomer to a major purchase should, by doing my research. Numerous catalogues, visits to websites and conversations with existing road riders followed, and then I visited a few shops to see what advice they had, how they approached my situation and most importantly, how they interacted with me as a novice. The final choice of retailer was made following a recommendation from a colleague who knows the owner of a bike shop. I went to chat to their staff, and my initial reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

The usual way to buy a bike is to be measured up, and then the shop will build the bike to your measurements. However, I was really tight on time, and so we agreed that I could order and then be measured up on collection, with any tweaks needed being made at that stage. This was a Tuesday, and I was told that the bike would be ready for collection the next day – great service. However, I wasn’t going to be available to collect until the following week.

I duly turned up in the morning and saw the staff member I first discussed the purchase with (not the guy who took the order). He went off to find my bike and after 20 minutes came back into the shop scratching his head. “You can’t find it can you?” I enquired, which he acknowledged. Looking round the shop, I saw a bike that looked suspiciously like mine on the shop floor, so pointed it out. Sure enough that was my bike, but they hadn’t fixed all the extras to it that I had ordered, and so off he went again to put it right.

Another 20 minutes or so later and, bearing in mind I still had to be measured and the bike adjusted, time was fast running out as I had to get to a meeting. I told one of the other assistants that I had to go and that I would be back the next morning to collect. The next morning I encountered yet another member of staff – the other two people weren’t around – and so I recounted the tale to him. He couldn’t get his head round the fact that the measuring up was to be done on collection – “That will have been done when you ordered it” – and then couldn’t find any record of me or the bike!

Eventually he did reappear with the bike, complete with all its accessories, and I asked him about the measuring. His response was to tell me they were very short of space and busy, and so we went out on the pavement. I sat on the machine and he said, “It looks about right; they’ve obviously used their judgement when building it.” And that was it, end of the conversation.

could do better...
What a shame. They were so close to offering an excellent customer experience, but dropped the ball at the final stage. I subsequently spoke to the owner of the business to give my feedback, and he was concerned that I’d had a less than perfect experience and said he would take it on board. I did subsequently go back to be measured up a couple of days later, but even then I had to suggest that to the owner.

There are lessons here for all independent retailers. Simple things like keeping a diary or notebook and passing on messages to the staff due in the next day can really make the difference between poor and good service. We live or die by our service delivery and so really owe it to ourselves to get it right. BADA’s Salescraft course covers these areas, helping equip you with skills that could really benefit you. Why not drop us a line on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to find out more?

Contact: +44 (0)20 8150 6741 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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