When Your Business is Open Should be Driven by "Customer Smarts"

When Your Business is Open Should be Driven by "Customer Smarts"

By Dave Ramacitti

How many times have you stopped by a business at what you believed was a reasonable hour --- I'm not talking here about the middle of the night --- and found it closed? I'd be willing to bet a blue word or two escaped your lips.

On Saturday mornings I sometimes teach a class in downtown Chicago. During a break at a recent class I decided to grab a cup of coffee and something light to eat.

Since I like their coffee, my first stop was the Caribou Coffee that is directly across the street from the building where I teach. It also happens to be the most convenient. But on Saturday morning I found it dark and all buttoned-up.

So, I went directly across the street (still not even a full block from my building) to the Dunkin' Donuts. Their racks were jammed full of all kinds of donuts, muffins and bagels. And one of the two the young ladies behind the counter greeted me with a smile and a pleasant, "What can I get for you?" I got coffee and a toasted bagel with cream cheese to go.

So, where do you think I'm now tending to buy my coffee when I'm teaching downtown, even on a weekday?

A small business has to make many decisions, among them being its hours of operation. I suspect that 99 percent of time the hours of operation decision is based on some rational number-driven management-oriented view --- we can save money by not having to be open and staffed on the weekends or evenings.

But that seemingly narrow management decision may also turn out to have marketing implications beyond a perceived cost saving. When you know who your customers are or who you want them to be --- when you have "customer smarts" --- that knowledge should help drive all of your key decisions, including the hours you are going to be open.

A truck stop along a major interstate highway has no choice, it must be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, because its primary customers (travelers and truckers) are on the road at all hours of the day, all year long.

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