Winning Customer Loyalty -  Back To Basics 
 

As a consumer, we generally wish to be treated with a certain degree of respect and appreciation, for bringing a merchant our valuable business.

To be honest, the consumer also owes the merchant a certain degree of respect and loyalty as well, or the business can not thrive, and may eventually fail without such support and devotion.

For example, if our advertising, product testing, informative reviews, website exposure, and unique marketing approach helps someone to locate the best possible product currently available on the market ... it would then seem foolish to take their business elsewhere, like eBay, simply to try and find a slightly better price!

By doing this ... everyone risks destroying those businesses who are really the organizations devoted to offering the top-quality professional services that you want, and the respect you deserve!

For example, if we all run to Home Depot to save a couple of dollars on plumbing supplies, the extremely knowledgeable and helpful people at the local ACE Hardware stores, will be sorely missed for their expert advice when needed. Sadly, the lack of customers trying to save a few bucks, may eventually drive them out-of-business. Consumers appear to have "forgotten the basics", in today's new push button world.

In less than a decade, cheaper prices at Wal-Mart, has nearly brought about the extinction of good old-fashioned toy stores around the country. Fond memories that future generations of children are now less likely to experience. Even big toy companies like Toys-R-Us are struggling, because of this lack of customer appreciation and loyalty.

Purchasing either expensive, luxury, hard-to-find, or one-of-a-kind item online is what helps make the World Wide Web so compelling, however, purchasing items that can easily be found locally just to save a little money online can harm your city or state's economy. This translates into less sales tax revenue for schools, roads, highways, or other urban projects not being developed or improved upon within your own community. Be warned, an Internet sales tax is inevitable because of these facts.

By the way, let's not forget about those struggling local merchants having problems with customers not purchasing there inventory, without HUGE online discount prices. I know what some of you are probably thinking ... to save even more money ... just wait a bit longer for their going-out-of-business SALE!

Hopefully, after our brief explanation (with examples), everyone may have a better appreciation for the term, Buying Power!

To put it plainly ... if our business were the one responsible for helping someone make an informed buying decision, that could have easily saved someone both grief and money in the long run, how on earth could they later justify taking their business elsewhere, to save only a few extra dollars. I don't get it!

Unless consumers STOP this save-a-buck attitude ALL the time, the world we grew up in will forever be changed in a very counter-productive manner! Savings are great, as long as they do not cost too much!