I went onto my local newsagency the other day, as I wanted to buy 8 x 64 page A4 note pads. They only had 4 so I picked out 4 x 48 page note pads. I didn’t look at the price. I just picked them up to purchase them.
Once at the cash register, the shop assistant took my pads, I got out my credit card to pay as she scanned them all ready to swipe and pay then walk out, but then she looked at me and said: “Sorry, the minimum purchase is $10!”
Wow. How to make someone feel stupid, I don’t know what the people behind thought but I know how it made me feel.
So I said “sorry” and walked out over 40 cents. I would suggest it would have cost more in man-hours for her to put them back in stock than 40c but she enforced the rules. For 40c she could have just done it anyway as it was close enough.
Upon reflection, there were so many things wrong here by the store.
The main thing is she could have asked if I wanted another note pad to get it over the $10 and got the upsell. I would have been happy with that as going from 8 to 9 would have been easy.
It is much harder to find new clients than it is to keep existing clients; I went from my local newsagency to the local supermarket and got what I needed. I am not sure I will be going back any time soon with my business.
In business do we sweat the small little adjustments we can make to put a deal together over 40c, I hope not. But for some the difference in a deal, not 40c, it is more like $40 or $400 etc.
In principle I would suggest if the deal is close enough, it is a deal.
If you want to look after your business and have clients rather than sales, then look after their loyalty so you have sales and clients who keep coming back for more, look after your clients.