I just returned from working in Paris this last week coordinating an economics conference on the aging of European society and what it means for their economic future. But although we had Nobel Prize winners speaking at this, I actually learned more just but walking the “rues” (one of 10 words of French I know, it means street.) There is something about the “soft sell” of Paris that makes it refreshing. Walking the streets that tourists frequent, I was struck by how low key and tasteful most of the stores were. It made me realize that since Paris is such a beautiful place and just an amazing sensory experience on its own, that you did not need to be “sold” to buy things in the American sense.
The Parisian perspective is such that we are more than just consumers, but humans who are there to experience the “finer things” in life such as art, architecture and fashion. What I learned is that if all you view your customer as just as a consumer (like we make the mistake all too often in America of doing) without attending to the sensory experience of your store or service, then you are going to only compete on price and probably won’t be building a relationship for repeat business. I know I did not feel the hard sell in Paris and they are going to get me back their many times over in my life. I’ll be a repeat Paris customer. Baguette and vin rouge, sil vous plait.
James Sheridan
Post comments below or send an e-mail to organizedpassion@gmail.com
RSS: Click Here to Add This Blog to Your Newsreader
Search Organized Passion
