» Mystery Shopping

Some people believe in evolution, and some in a greater power. Whatever your personal belief no one can deny that the world, and people are always changing. We adapt to our surroundings and adjust to changes in weather, government, jobs, etc. Despite the inevitable, most people resist change. Why is it that most of us, me included, cringe at the thought of moving, or changing jobs, or making a big leap?

I can remember the last day of high school. I couldn’t imagine that the world outside of those red brick walls had anything to offer that I didn’t already know. (Every teenager knows it all, right?) Yesterday I had a meeting; before the meeting we were all introducing ourselves. Most of the people had already met each other at similar meetings. One woman was sharing about the joys, and pains of raising a teenaged boy, 15 to be exact. Surprisingly, or maybe not, she had mostly pains to share with us. He seemed to be a typical boy, trying to take on more responsibilities than his mother was ready to allow. She seemed to be pulling her hair out, which is probably what he wanted. I’m sure that this mother was also a typical teenager, trying to push her boundaries. But it seemed like she had forgotten what it was like to be making the change from youth to adult. I don’t think any of us can say that we loved every moment of those awkward years or that we never felt insecure. Like so many other changes in life, it is a scary thing to do.

I also remember the way I felt the week before I got married. Wow, that was a scary leap to make. I think no matter how well you know some one, you always have to ask yourself, “Am I sure this is the right thing to do?” Unlike going through your teenage years, marriage is a choice you can make. Don’t get me wrong, I was a giddy school girl in the weeks leading up to the Big Day. When it came to the day, I never hesitated to say ‘I do’. I knew it was the right thing for me.

I also remember the day I found out that my husband and I were expecting our first baby. At first it was a joyful moment, and then a rush of anxiety came over me. Was I going to be a good mother, how would we work out all the finances, and what about day care? Should I keep working, what if I don’t know what to do with a baby, what if he doesn’t love me? All of these questions go through every woman’s mind I think. And of course, they answer themselves, and things aren’t as scary as they seem. Now Joel and I have the most beautiful baby boy. (That is said with no bias of course J )

I think that when we look back at some of the then-scary moments, we couldn’t imagine our lives being different than they are now. So when we have to face the next big change life offers maybe we could take a moment and try to see the big picture. We should try to look at how this change is going to make life happier, or what we can learn from it. Or when we see some one else struggling with life’s toughest moments we should encourage them that everything works out for good, and if it isn’t a good change, we can adapt and move on.

Ta ta for now…

Sarah

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Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our diary of the secret shopping and mystery shopping fields.

I went to the doctor early this morning, and at the end of the visit they sent me to the ‘blood draw’ office. So, I went, hoping that it wouldn’t hurt too badly. I walked into the room, and there were 3 other people waiting. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the man drawing the blood was cheerful. He smiled at everyone and made conversation with them while he was with them. I watched, and no one seemed to bat an eye as he poked them. I sighed a breath of relief and silently thanked him in my mind. I was the last person waiting, and as he was finishing up with the young lady just before me another nurse walked into the room.

She was not in the same cheerful mood, and it was very evident. She sombered into the room, not even picking up her feet, as if to say, “I really don’t want to be here.” Her breathing was huffy and she slumped over only half awake. It was early in the morning, so it is possible that she truly was only half awake; which is not a comforting sign coming from a person about to put a needle in someone’s arm. Then I panicked because I realized I was the only one left waiting. Everyone else had already gone and left with a smile on their face.

She picked up the small piece of paper I had given the receptionist and everything slowed down as she read, “Saaaarrrraaahhhh.” Reluctantly, I stood up and followed her into the small little room. She worked silently at getting all the appropriate tools, but she was really screaming “I would rather be somewhere else!” As she opened the drawers, she slammed them shut and threw down the glass vile. I remember thinking to myself that I was surprised it didn’t break. She went through all the procedures, still not saying a word. Then, she stuck a piece of gauze on my arm and sternly said, “Hold this.” I got up, said thank you, and left.

‘They” say that something like 90% of our communication is non-verbal, but rather body language and tone inflection. And we can all think of a time when someone said one thing, but their voice and body said the opposite. In the medical profession it is extremely important to make your patient feel comfortable. But on any business level it is equally important to make your customers feel comfortable and appreciated. Saying “thank you” is great, but it can also be insulting if someone says it insincerely by blurting it out and rolling their eyes.

I do not think that my nurse intended to make me fearful or uncomfortable. However, I do believe that the ‘nice’ man chose to be so happy and comforting. In a rental business of any sort there are always some extreme situations we see tenants deal with. If they feel comfortable and appreciated by you or your associates, they will most likely become a loyal customer. So, I submit to you that we should all learn from my lesson and try to communicate, in every way, a positive and comforting mood while at work, and at home.

Sarah

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You’ve heard it said about a sales person. “He can sell ice to Eskimos”. Usually we take this to mean the sales person was so good at persuasion and so hypnotically dazzling that he could sell people something they don’t need. There is the suggestion that the sales person cheated the Eskimos because they have plenty of free ice in a good winter. We usually mean this quote as an insult and a compliment at the same time. If your secret shopping evaluation said “Sells ice to Eskimos.” you might not be sure how to take it.

In today’s secret shopping blog, I’d like to take a different look at this saying. If you were trying to build a business selling a product or service, wouldn’t you want customers that knew the value of what they were buying? Wouldn’t you seek out the people who knew the most about your business and try to find a way to satisfy their requirements? Wouldn’t those people become your biggest users and biggest fans if you served them well? Wouldn’t your sales techniques revolve around what those people in the know taught you?

One would think that Eskimos know a lot about ice. I would bet their languages have many ways of describing ice. Some live in ice houses part of the year, hunt on ice during hunting season, kayak around ice flows and put ice cubes in their Coca Cola. If you knew about the different uses they had for ice and how ice needs to be for each of their uses, you could build a very nice business selling ice to Eskimos. If you could get the right consistency and coldness of pre-cut blocks, shaped especially for walls, ceilings and tunnels, you could sell pre-cut igloos to Eskimo families who are too busy to select and cut their own ice blocks. Eskimos have busy, demanding modern lives that don’t always leave them enough time to savor the traditional enjoyments. Buying prefab igloo ice would allow them more time to enjoy the great outdoors. Your mystery shoppers will need to be aware of how yor retail people approach iglooe ice.

If you knew the kind of ice that was required to keep seals preserved for processing after a hunt, you might be able to sell “Hunter Ice” as well. With the changes global warming is bringing to the arctic, the right kind of ice may not be available to hunters at the times they need it. I can only imagine the disappointment in taking a big seal for your family only to have it spoil before you can get it home and processed.

There are probably kayak races that are held each year in areas that used to have consistent ice flows. I can imagine that some kayakers would be very disappointed to run a race with no ice flow obstacles. If a company could overcome the transportation issues, it could probably sell a lot of ice to the big races with big purses to attract the best competitors and the best sponsors. A “Kayak Ice” line might not sell to many events, but those transactions would generate a lot of revenue for the ice company and the race organizers.

Certainly your ice company would want the exclusive in the concession booths that offered cold soft drinks to the audience. Knowing that the same company that can provide the best quality “Igloo Ice”, “Hunter Ice” and “Kayak Ice” is putting its best “Drinking Ice” in the soft drink machines would allow the concession stands to charge a little more per cup and they’d probably sell more drinks.

What about selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Have any of you seen the Larsen “Far Side” cartoon of the sales man floating away on his boat, waving good-bye to the Eskimos who are standing beside their new refrigerators? What do you think when you see the cartoon? Do you think, “Wow that guy must be some kind of B.S. artist.”? Do you think, “Those Eskimos are suckers.”? Maybe there is a lot more going on there. If you look at the expressions on the characters faces, you see that they are going to miss each other.

Just because it is cold in the arctic, doesn’t mean the temperature is always right for all the things you want to chill. Have you ever seen what happens to a nice head of lettuce if it is kept too cold? Or what happens to apples if your humidity levels are off? What about the seal meat from the hunt? Keep your game refrigerated at the wrong temperature and your family might go hungry. Many newer refrigerators have cool amenities like crushed or cubed ice from the door and filtered drinking water from the door. If the company that provided the best ice for outdoor use, also sold its own brand of refrigerators with crushed and cubed ice available with a touch of your finger, it could develop brand loyalty that would create years of profitable growth and many happy customers.

If your business was ice or refrigerators, would the Eskimos do business with you? Do you know enough about what your customers need and like? When someone who knows a little something about storage looks at your place, do they say, “Yes, this is good.”? Try thinking of yourself as the ice sales person who has just been awarded all the lands north of the Artic Circle as your new sales territory. Do you think you could develop a good business?

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