In the most recent episode of NBC’s The Office, Michael offers to gather intelligence on a neighboring competitor by posing as a potential client.
Michael happily schemes to annihilate Prince Family Paper, but then finds himself in a moral dilemma when the rival turns out to be a family-owned Mom and Pop business. And they couldn’t have been nicer to Michael, who is posing as an interested prospect.
The owner of the business even gives Michael their client list.
After the “meeting”, Michael ends up having a problem with his car, and “Pop” fixes his car. While he waits, “Mom” brings him a cup of coffee.
Getting Personal
Now that there is a very human face on the competition, Michael doesn’t want to hurt these people by turning the client list over to his boss. Unfortunately, Dwight manages to take the list away from Michael after an amusing foot chase around the office and parking lot, which forces Michael to turn the list over to his boss.
Armed with the Prince Family Paper’s client list, the conventional thinking is that Dunder Mifflin can now put Prince Family Paper out of business.
Or could they?
It’s pretty easy to take a closer “look” at this situation for the customer experience perspective. It is highly likely that the companies on the Prince Family Paper client list are already aware of the larger company, Dunder Mifflin. Let’s say it’s common knowledge that the larger company’s prices are lower than the Mom and Pop operation.
So why would these companies authorize paying more to work with Prince Family Paper?
“People who need people”
Based on what we saw in the episode, my guess is that Prince Family Paper has a loyal following that values customer service over lowest prices. Like many small businesses that have a loyal following, highly personalized service is the cornerstone of their brand. Prince Family Paper understands that people do business with people. And as long as they adhere to this principle, their clients are unlikely to stray merely in pursuit of lower prices.
As we go about our sales activities, let’s keep this classic quote from American Business woman Mary Kay Ash in mind:
Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ”Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.
What do you think – can a “Dunder Mifflin” win? Could your customers be lured away by lower prices? What are you doing to make sure your customers want to stay with you?
And, if you were armed with your competitor’s client list, what would you do?
Posted by rhishja 
