I pulled into The Home Depot today for the first time in a while. I switched to Lowe’s a few years ago and had honestly forgotten why. Today I was reminded before I even made it to the front door.
For years they’ve had a special parking section reserved for pro customers. As I pulled in, I saw the signage was cracked, faded, and peeling. Whoever championed this concept clearly hasn’t revisited it in a long time. The irony is that the pro customer they were trying to appeal to was me. I’m a contractor, right? Maybe not cool enough to be considered a contractor by the other cool kid contractors, but licensed nevertheless.
Picture me showing up after seeing an ad or just ready to give The Home Depot another chance. The first thing that greets me is a dejected-looking sign. This was my welcome to the store.
So now I walk in, subconsciously clocking everything else amiss. Sure enough, there are boxes on the floor that haven’t been stocked and debris scattered around the place. Keep in mind those things may have been there all along. I just never noticed. That sign primed me to start looking.
Maybe it’s because we have our Raving Fan Factory initiative going at Livewire. Maybe not. Either way, I doubled down on the idea that this store couldn’t care less whether I do business with them. The overall vibe I got was “we’ve given up.” Either that or they think they don’t have to compete, which is crazy to me because there’s a Lowe’s right next door.
Also by Henry Clifford: The Raving Fan Factory
I don’t know if my experience was a one-off or if they’re one secret shopper away from fixing it. What I do know is I couldn’t stop thinking about my own business. Every time I pull up to my office and see something out of place it drives me nuts. I think my employees think I’m crazy. What I’m really doing is trying to see us through the eyes of a customer seeing us for the first time. How do we show up? How do we look?
If you haven’t gazed upon your shop with fresh eyes in a while, go take a look. If you’re already the person who’s unreasonable (inspired by Will Guidara’s book Unreasonable Hospitality) about how your place is kept, I’d argue being unreasonable is now table stakes. To stand out, we need to be completely unreasonable in our expectations for how our place looks. In the words of my first manager, Ray Teat, “It may not be your first time, but it’s their first time.”
Also by Henry Clifford: Build Your Shadow Warrior Army
What are you doing in your business to make sure you don’t end up in the same pro customer parking dead zone?
Stay frosty, and see you in the field.
