Ever lose your excitement of watching a new DVD as you endure the torture of trying to peel off the cellophane and pry-open the case? Ever convince yourself that you could drive to the store, park the car, and roam the aisles looking for the item quicker than a phone call to a store to find out if it’s in stock?

Hudson Valley organizations must realize that customers don’t spend only money to acquire a product or use a service. They also invest time, effort, thought, and emotion. In exchange for their sacrifices, they expect rewards.

In order to create higher value, you need to limit the sacrifices and increase rewards. My wife decided to spend a day at an exclusive spa. Her first three attempts to make an appointment found the line busy. Finally she made an appointment, but to enjoy a full day of services had to pick a day inconvenient for her.

Arriving early she found a line so long it took several minutes to check in. She then received an ordinary haircut, facial, pedicure, massage and body wrap but enjoyed pleasant conversation with each staff member. However, in order to pay she had to wait in another long line at the register.

This roller coaster of pleasant and unpleasant events is typical of many Hudson Valley products and services. Rewards are based on the value received and always add value. Convenience is a reward.

Sacrifices, on the other hand, always decrease value and require effort on the part of the customer. Driving to the store or having to take off work to be home for a furniture delivery is a sacrifice.

The rewards for my wife included a full day of treatments and the staff’s personal attention. All the treatments were good, but given the salon’s reputation and prices, she expected no less. Only the staff’s treatment added value because it was extraordinary.

Howard Hellman, President of All Bright Electric in West Nyack and doing business in the Hudson Valley said, “Irritate employees and they will, in turn, irritate your customers. We believe that our employees are our most important customers. When you treat employees with respect, care and concern they pass it on to customers.”

The sacrifices she encountered included a busy phone line, settling for an inconvenient day, waiting several minutes to check in, and a long checkout line. All of these sacrifices were unacceptable. She went in expecting excellent service so she wasn’t at all happy about the final sacrifice…paying a premium price.

This outcome is unfortunate, because the salon has a good product and it wouldn’t take much more than better management of the appointment and front desk processes to transform the experience. If you recognize that your customers are being subjected to unacceptable or intolerable sacrifices, you may be able to turn them into rewards.

Every Hudson Valley company, no matter how large or small, has been guilty of delivering substandard value at one time or another. What’s important is to recognize when customers have made an unacceptable sacrifice, and then do something about it.

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