Multiple Personalities

[cricketb]

I've moved to http://cricketb.wordpress.com/ .

Comments

Personality sells

[ivyreisner]

The big advantage that retail stores always had over online stores was personality. The people who work there know the people who shop there. One time, Yarn Connection called me on the phone to tell me the Zephyr I'd been looking for just came in and that they would hold it for me. Book store owners always tell customers "since you always read, X, you'll love this new book by Y". That's not the same thing as computer-generated recommendations. But now online vendors who get it are selling based on their social interactions with customers. Kathy, of Webs, talks to knitters on Twitter. She hangs out with the folk who will buy her yarn, and it's helping her to grow an already prosperous business.

Don't fear being a real person online. People like that.

Re: Personality sells

[cricketb]

Good point! I still remember Mrs. Findlay helping me with my first bank account. Years later, if I went to the bank while visiting home, I'd wait for her. Mom threatened to change banks entirely when it was demoted to a sub-branch and no longer did business accounts. (They found a way to keep her.) I know the grocery store clerks (at least the Tuesday morning ones), and which packers don't need reminding of my quirks. The main reason I haven't changed from Pilates to Yoga, despite my singing teacher's strong recommendation (Pilates tightens the muscles singers need to loosen) is the instructor and class. I know them, and they know me. Some of the best stories are told by tellers who, while they make sure their personality doesn't interfere with the story, have a strong personality that supports the story and casts it in a new light.