Dying a slow death – A definite marketing no-no.
Yesterday, my friends and I (Michael Pitkin of VINA and Ros of Ficklets) and I attended the Get Motivated seminar at US Airways in Phoenix. First of all, best seminar I’ve ever been to for $5 (although highly recommend taking the light rail next time, parking was $30), got to listen to some amazing speakers including General Colin Powell, Kurt Warner and Steve Forbes, and it did what it said it would do – it got me motivated. I’m no longer afraid of the risks I’m taking in my life which include finishing my book or planning the Mompreneur of the Year event this April, I’m going for it full force and putting my heart into it. No failure allowed, only success, right Kurt Warner? God love him.
So, after six speakers throughout the morning, my friends and I were starved. Not just hungry, but starved and about to pass out if we didn’t get any food within the next few minutes. Just as everyone ventured out of the arena for the 65- minute break, so did we although not sure why, there were a ton of food vendors located above us on the second level of the arena. Anywho, we found a NY style pizza shop directly across from the arena and headed over there.
Lines of people zig zagged in the restaurant and out the door waiting for the pizza special – drink, slice and salad for $5.50. Good deal. We thought about leaving, thought about going next door, but stayed put. As soon as we got inside after about a 1/2 hour wait with numerous people still behind us looking as hungry as we were, the owner did something so imaginable I, no make that we, couldn’t believe our eyes. He put a sign on the door that said “We’re closed!” About 20 people stood in line for a slice of his pizza and he told them to leave. Those just inside the door were safe though, including us.
Leave? Really? Sure, I can understand if you can’t accommodate patrons because you ran out of food, but this was not the case. When we asked if he ran out of dough, the owner said “I have plenty of food, but I’m running out of patience for people!!! Make sure no one comes in here,” and he went back to making pizza. I don’t know about you, but 20 people x $5.50/head at minimum is a lot of “dough” for a small business. I’m sure he doesn’t get this type of traffic on any normal day, right, so why not make a lot of money today to hold him over the days when he doesn’t??
Wow. Now, it’s not brain surgery or anything, but isn’t the reason you go into business is so that you can attract customers, build relationships and entice them to come back and tell their friends and family thus creating even more business? How many people do those 20 people know? Not to mention, how many people just tweeted, Facebooked, or blogged what they had just witnessed (well, clearly I am, I’m a marketing person. 
? After spending 20 or more minutes in line to now hear “Leave now. We’re closed,” I would be a little, no make that a lot, ticked off, especially now that I had even less time to find somewhere to eat, wait in yet another line, and make it back to the seminar! He didn’t do it politely, just rudely. He didn’t apologize or offer a discount to come back at another time, just shooshed them away like a wandering cat on the driveway not welcome there.
Now, I’ve heard that downtown Phoenix struggles a bit with getting people into businesses. If this is still the case, this pizza owner has just committed the ultimate marketing sin in my book. He has given his future customers, and possibly current customers, a taste of what he really thinks of them – he has no patience for his customers. In a world where customer service is everything in business, I’m now wondering if he’ll be in business next time I head to the arena. Guess we’ll just wait and see.
Interested to hear others thoughts on this. Share this or comment back please.
(FYI, these comments are not from me. Just moved over in the transition from one blog site to the next. Just ignore my picture next to each comment. I swear I don’t comment on my own blogs! )
Sad, but not shocking. I have seen this before with clients when I first started out in PR. A great offer was shared and when the phones started ringing off the hook for an hour, the owner decided to stop answering them because he couldn’t handle it anymore. Absolutely sad and ridiculous. Not surprising that this owner would do this and I am sure you won’t find him in biz for long. Sad, but too many people with dreams to open a successful business forget that the most important part of your biz is your customers. Because if they aren’t there, you won’t be either. – Charlotte Shaff, The Media Push
Was definitely business suicide to rudely & abruptly close the way he did. At a time when people are bootstrapping, excellent customer service is the weapon to survive. Amen to Charlotte’s comment and ya know… not a bad idea to offer Customer Service 101… seriously! I’ll assist, like pass out paper I mean. LOL!
Insightful post!! – Ros Guerrero, Ficklets.com
Yikes! What was he thinking. The best thing (besides being aware of the event that was probably going to make his monthly sales exceed all expectations) would have been to let people know why he had to close. Was he out of pizza dough or mozzarella? Did his oven burn out? He would have had tremendous sympathy rather than distain. What an opportunity he missed. – Elaine Leonetti – Six Degrees
Wow. Not only marketing sin but karma sin. I am so amazed when I see how much money people put into their signage to bring people in and how little thought or effort is put into the customer service that will keep them coming back. – Lainika Johnson-Colbert, Lainika.com
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