All the customers who come into your store have come from someplace else. How they feel when they first enter significantly influences their impression and ultimately their decision on what to buy or not buy. They may just have come from home, lunch with a friend or a break from work. Perhaps they had a bad experience in traffic. Or, they may just be out looking for something to do.

Often they have just come from another store. How they were treated there and how they felt when they left directly affected their decision to continue shopping, just browse the neighboring businesses or go someplace else. If they are feeling good when they enter your business, chances are very good that they will respond positively to your store and your staff’s customer service. Conversely, if they are discontented or upset, then you will be fortunate if something in your store doesn’t further irritate them and cause them to feel you are responsible for it.

So, no matter how good your service, store layout or inventory, even your pricing or quality, there are some things that you just can’t control. And that is where your neighbors and business associations come in. The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance firmly believes that one of the advantages of locally owned, independently operated businesses is that we look out for each other. We recognize that our strength is in our willingness to work with each other to build an interactive business community that refers our customers to other businesses that can satisfy their needs with quality products and service.

Does your staff know what products neighboring businesses carry? If a customer asks for something you don’t stock, does an employee make a reasonable effort to suggest where they might find it? If necessary, do you call a competitor? And, perhaps most important, if you hear regular requests for something not available in town, do you consider carrying it or suggest it to another appropriate business? Even if you must send customers to another store for the item, they will remember that it was your store that found it for them and compare the other store’s service to yours. This gives you the clear advantage for repeat business and referrals.

CIBA publishes an annual directory of our member businesses, complete with product descriptions, store hours and contact information. It is a great way to educate your staff on where hard-to-find products may be purchased from locally owned businesses. If you do not see a particular product listed that you have had regular requests for, e-mail CIBA at info@corvallisIBA.com and we will try to find a member to stock it. The best way to keep our shopping dollars in Corvallis is for all of us to work together to fulfill our customers’ requests.

CIBA believes that one of the best things businesses can do for themselves is to make sure customers leave their store feeling better than when they entered. This will help ensure that that they will want to return sooner. If each business followed this practice, then Corvallis would, in effect, achieve supermall-like variety with superior customer service and selection. Our community would also benefit from the multiplier effect of keeping money in the local economy.