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Trust and consistency are essential to building relationships and ensuring good feedback from your customer base.

In this month’s Strategy and Tactics column, Kimberly Trainer of Car-Tunes, Inc. in Greenville, Miss. noted the importance of consistency. If a retailer isn’t consistent, she said, “You’ll just confuse your clients.” We’ve all experienced some form of inconsistency when dealing with a retail establishment, and I’m no exception. Recently, I lost the clutch slave cylinder in my 1993 Mazda B2200. I called to order the part and the salesperson who answered the phone promised it would be in-store the next morning. I had to limp there in my other car, which has an unreliable transmission, only to find the part had never actually been ordered. It’s a familiar scenario. Except, this time, I didn’t feel comfortable coming back again in the same car. While we’re talking about two different fields, automotive parts and mobile electronics retailers, a disappointed customer can be found just about anywhere. How might your business, or yourself as a salesperson or a technician, handle a similar situation?

Every moment is a teaching moment
In this issue, the team at Buford, Ga.-based Traffic Jams Motorsports shares what they’ve learned over the years, noting that it took a long time to cultivate positive store culture—something that’s required when it comes to building a lasting business. During a panel discussion at KnowledgeFest, owner Yamil Widy mentioned the importance of learning from bad reviews. He said, “If you get a bad review, it’s a teaching moment. You can look back at your business and say, ‘How did we fail this customer?’ Then you can retrain your staff in specific situations or change regulations in your shop.”

It’s my feeling that mobile electronics retailers must work even harder to ensure a strong foundation, positive culture and a quality experience for customers. After all, as many in the industry will say, car audio isn’t a necessity. My local auto parts store will surely be around for many years to come. People will go there to buy batteries, motor oil and windshield wipers regardless of negative experiences. Perhaps its knowing the necessity of these products that causes some companies feel its okay to slide backward in terms of service. We, as an industry, have to rise above that. We have to be better.

Is your store offering consistent service?
When I told the salesperson at the auto parts store about my car troubles, he surprised me by offering to hand-deliver the new part after his shift ended. “Really?” I asked. “Are you sure?” He smiled and said, “It’s not something we ordinarily do, but consider it an attempt to make up for all the other times this has happened to you.”

If I’d intended to leave a bad review online, the salesperson kept it from happening by going above and beyond to assist me. He didn’t need to deliver the part, but he chose to help me. No matter what field we’re in, offering compassionate, consistent service should always be a priority. The salesperson’s simple act of kindness was a huge help to me, and in the end, the store kept my business. Mistakes happen. It’s how we handle those mistakes—and how we learn from them—that matters.

No matter what field we’re in, offering compassionate, consistent service should always be a priority.