Location, Location, Location
There's a nearby grocery store that frustrates me endlessly: Needlers. The food's okay, but the service? It's a comedy of errors. One star, if I'm being generous. On my last visit, a teenage girl manned the cash register, chatting with a friend at the neighboring register and munching on Goldfish straight from the bag. I kid you not. She held the bag aloft, crumbs tumbling into her mouth while she scanned my avocados. Once done, she just stared at me, and I stared back in disbelief.
I glanced over at the owner, a middle-aged man in his fifties, who shrugged as if to say, "What can you do?" He seemed one complaint away from quitting himself. Come on, Mr. Needler! Show some pride!
Now you understand my pain.
Despite these antics, I find myself at Needlers regularly for one reason: convenience. It's on my way, far too convenient compared to other options. Time is precious, so I grin and bear it.
Needlers falls short in many ways, but convenience trumps all.
This experience taught me something profound.
"Location, location, location."
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Property experts preach this as the key to a property's value. Yet, it applies beyond real estate. In today's business world, we are the business, always moving.
The question is: Am I positioning myself so that I'm irresistibly convenient?
I've argued that being in the room matters more than being excellent to win initial business from a prospect. This grocery store is a prime example.
No longer can a great product and service alone build a business. You must position yourself strategically. Be omnipresent. Be on their route. Be available when others are not.
The competition might be waiting in their offices, believing great products suffice. This mindset won't cut it.
This isn't an excuse for mediocrity. Quite the opposite. Imagine if Needlers trained their staff and streamlined operations. Customers would bypass competitors for their exceptional service. That's the winning formula.
Needlers has positioned itself strategically. Now, if only we could buy groceries without a side of Goldfish crumbs and teenage attitude.