Are You Really Open for Business?

By Glen Gardner/CEO Glen Gardner and Associates

The other day I was cruising down the road and happened to get stopped at a light in front of a store. That store had one of those clocks on the door that said, "We are closed, but we'll return at 9AM." The more I thought about that common sign that we all see on a daily basis, the more I thought about it being the equivalent of economic suicide in the year 2014.

There's not much if anything in that store or any other that I can't find on Amazon or Ebay and they are never closed. Perhaps you've seen the latest Amazon plan that anticipates what certain people will buy given their past habits and stock those items either at regional hubs or on the truck so that it can be delivered the same day.

Given that, I don't think I would ever advertise the fact that I'm closed. The expectation in this day and age is a 24-hour business cycle. That doesn't mean if you are are brick and mortar retailer or service provider your doors need to be open 24-7, but we need a new kind of "closed" sign. One that gives our web contact for more information NOW, perhaps a phone number that can be text-messaged or called and a promise that someone will get back to them within 15 minutes.

The consumer has now been effectively trained to get what they want now. If you can't give it to them, they will just go somewhere else where they can get it. This trend is not going away and as the target consumer gets younger and the older demos are forced to adopt technology, it will become more pronounced.

Encourage your customers to text you and answer emails right away, even if it's to offer a promise of a phone call in 30 minutes. If you don't, they will just go somewhere else.

The consumer expects you to always be there in some fashion, don't hang a clock on the door that could be a ticking time-bomb for you.