Here's the analogy I was taught early in my retail career.
_IF YOU WANT TO PLAY POOL, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PUT THE BALL IN THE
POCKET. _
_IF YOU WANT TO WIN AT POOL, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PUT THE BALL IN THE
POCKET WHILE LEAVING THE CUE BALL IN GOOD POSITION FOR THE NEXT SHOT._
The key to sustained success is making customers so happy they'll tell
others about you. If you don't, they'll still tell others about you -
you just won't like what they say. Proactive communication goes a long
way.
Rick
On Monday, October 2, 2023 at 02:39:59 PM EDT, Alan Adler
<[email protected]> wrote:
When I screw up. And I do all the time! I was taught in the army to
take full responsibility for whatever happened. If you didn’t the
punishment was much worse. When I screw up with a client. And I do
more often the older I get, I play a game. I say to myself I am going
to make this customer one of my best. So many times that customer
comes back again and again after such treatment. Everybody screws up
but it’s how you handle it that make the difference. Sometimes you
know you’ll never make someone happy. In that case you do your
pushups and take you hit - and do your best to never make the same
mistake again. It’s old school, but how I was taught. Speak honestly
and share what’s really going wrong. Life’s too short to waste it.
Alan
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 1, 2023, at 10:11 PM, Tom Martin
<[email protected]> wrote:
hi mopo - been thinking about all sides and all views...
My summery is this... I considered mylife and the mistakes ive made
over 67 years..
Its beena lifeof learning by mistakes.. wheni used to fix my cars i
had so little understanding how to replacea starter or how to
dosparkplugs etc..so wheni was 16 i failed many times.. However
eventually i learned the right way to change a tire... not to overfill
my gas tank as that makes the vapor sensors read check engine light
come on..etc..etc.. that why we take the car to a auto specialist..or
calla plumber.. electriti
with Business and people... its the same.. we expect a certain
conduct of service
rarley do people allow whena vendor makes a mistake froma poor
quality item./ Damadge or late shipppment
Ill speak for myself..wheni would geta order bymail iwould printout
the mailing label, Pull the order before the listing ended and even
before woulld stage my sales as i listed them so they could be packed
ASAP//many times i would ship as soon as the ebay ad ended. and rush
to PO the next day... Organization is key..what happens to many
vendors is they dont have a system in place to pack and have the
paperwork in order like a docket so that things run like a clock...
I had a guiy in Candad mike Orlando that bid on several items on
ebay,,I think one was a dawn of the dead Romeroone sheet..whenthe sale
ended i packed and shipped the next day..however he had bid on another
poster...!! so whenit ended I sent it to him andi paid thepostage.. as
itwas theright thing to do .. he had a brother in NYC forward the
packages to him at Hollywood Canteen of Toronto..th point is I put the
customer first over my profits..
when my post office manage asked me why do you give so much stuff
away free..as i would say oh this is a freebe.. many times./// I said
Im investing inthe good will of my Business..as when we do business we
may lose profits however when you take care of a customer is how you
build integrityand trust with others
you cant impress all people all the time some will be dissatisfied
no matter what as they have false expectations of service or the
materials condition
What I would do is relying on my experience to understand the
condition of items over 46 years experience and I would do my best to
package the item as well as possible with quality materials and the
item would be insured with a tracking number to ensure delivery some
of the postal companies for instance in Europe Germany Australia Japan
Spain could be difficult so I would cringe when I would get an order
from say England because the client would you be upset with the cost
to ship to many of these countries
in the 90s they stop using surface mail that I am relying on for
heavy things like books and they stop shipping by bolts and only by
air
The cost of materials has skyrocketed the nice thing about priority
mail is that they would supply you boxes for free to package the items
in and I use them for one sheets and also for many items I also used
Yazoo mills tubes for my posters they were very heavy duty mailing
tubes
In regards to the recent discussion of shipments and items that were
given for possible sales I guess the final answer is Buyer beware no
matter if you were consigning to someone or shipping to someone what I
decided to do is forgiveness and just allow all the people to have the
opportunity to redeem themselves by showing integrity and either
refunding Funds
that were given to the dealer or to rectify the situation and
fulfill the applications they originally committed to
The other thing I suggest is praying for the customers loss and set
an example and beef up your way of doing business for the vendor that
everybody is having a problem with
It takes years to build up a reputation by doing good business take
the seers company for example it was a wonderful company for many
years and then a hedge fund investor took over and ran the customer
service into the ground sears went bankrupt along with Kmart the issue
was poor quality customer service and they didn't stand behind their
products and services I knew the regional manager of seers as I was a
major sears customer I used glue guns to manufacture my directors sing
slate clapboards I want to return a broken glue gun and five managers
argued with me that they would not replace my craftsman glue gun the
manager that I am you said tell them to look on the back wall it says
it's 4 foot ladders satisfaction guaranteed were you satisfied? I said
no he said go back in there and get glue gun and tell the manager you
want it replaced Rose the manager is 70s year-old woman said I've been
telling these guys we need to take care of the customer or we're going
to lose them a few months later sears went bankrupt all because they
forgot to take care of the customer order employees and offer good
service I found in my own company based on people like John seers in
Alva roebuck to have a great company back in the day around 1910
When you respect your customers they will respect you and tell their
friends and associates of their experiences it's called Goodwill and
it's obtained over a lifetime
There are many stories of famous companies who are able to turn
around their sufferings and revive the companies JCPenney is one
example
So my prayer is for everybody that your lives can improve and
benefit others in a Positive Way, God bless you all
Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them and help others
TOM
HOLLYWOOD DREAM FACTORY®
SINCE 1977
On 2023-10-01 18:43, David Kusumoto wrote:
* To suggest you should not weigh in on any controversy surfacing
on
a public forum - unless you yourself are directly impacted -
suppresses opinions from members who have no stake in the outcome -
or
- that you yourself are a stakeholder.
* However frowned upon, all members - myself and others below this
post included - can weigh in - or not. I'm not from the school that
says people should shut up unless they're personally aggrieved.
That
view - suggests some are taking sides anyway even when they say
they're not.
* I strongly believe disputes which go public - ALWAYS occur as a
last resort - after weeks or months of frustration KNOWN by all
parties. Does anyone doubt this? We hear publicly from the merchant
being queried - only AFTER a second customer this week weighs in
more
forcefully than about being ghosted.
----
* 𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼
𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿. Below was the first time I weighed on
this
merchant whose name has surfaced not once, but multiple times in
2023
alone. If it happens once, no one cares. Happens twice, maybe some
concern. Three times or more - that's a potential "pattern" linked
to
health or other issues beyond anyone's control. Or maybe not.
* Merchants know this when a customer refuses to pay and has a
history
of ghosting other merchants. Just because they're stellar for you -
doesn't mean they've been stellar for everyone. Customers know this
too - when they pay or query a merchant and discover later that
they're not alone receiving less than satisfactory responses,
presuming they get any.
----
* Remember the Carol Tincup issue (RIP)? She was a great restorer.
Numerous dealers and customers wrote on MoPo about non-delivery of
their posters.
* No one was explaining broadly - what was going on. So I did
because
I dealt with her. She had one of my items for more than a year but
I
stayed quiet about it - because I wanted it back and felt she could
still do it. We spoke on the phone a lot. She had knee problems.
Customers took their complaints to MoPo not knowing this. I did not
know until other clients brought her up on MoPo - that I wasn't the
only person waiting to hear from her.
* I told her that she needs to tell people her situation, that
people
are forgiving about everything except intentional silence, that she
is
risking her reputation in our small community. When people go
public
like this, it can mean that others are seeing just the tip of an
iceberg. I was extremely sympathetic. In my last emails and voice
mails to her - I begged her to take my damage control advice. I
spent
an entire week leaving her messages. She ghosted me. At that
moment, I
wrote off in my head that what she had that was mine - was a
complete
loss.
* It was only then - that I issued my public "opinion" - that
people
should hold off sending her more stuff until her backlog was
cleared
and her ongoing problems with merchants were resolved. I only found
out she was angry with me - when my unfinished poster and a refund
arrived in the mail 2 weeks later. I called her instantly. She had
blocked my number. She refused to see that while there are two
sides
to everything - that ghosting causes people to think worst case
scenarios. She had good reasons for her backlog. But via MoPo I
discovered she had many customers waiting months to hear ANYTHING
from
her who were in the dark. I knew why but others didn't. I didn't
think
that was fair. I wasn't going to write individual emails to every
complainant.
----
* There is no such thing as a convenient time to have such
problems.
Anyone who goes public with them - has likely thought about the
consequences of asking others "out loud" - if they know what's
going
on. And someone in the "community" knows - even if they won't say.
I
bet there is someone besides the merchant in question who knows -
but
isn't saying - or is contacting people looking for answers
privately.
* That's what this group does best. And sometimes public opinions
from others - is the cheapest solution to group-think inertia.
-------------------------
FROM: peter contarino <[email protected]>
SENT: Sunday, October 1, 2023 10:18 AM
TO: David Kusumoto <[email protected]>
CC: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: [MOPO] Not responding
I am not defending Jason or Rich but it seems to me that Rich makes
a
fair point.
-------------------------
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of David
Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 9:16 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: Not responding
Huh, odd to get a public insult from a lonely life form that writes
like it goes to bed each night with spasms of self-loathing,
chewing
on its own spine. -d.
-------------------------
FROM: sales comic-art.com <[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 8:00 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>;
David Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: Not responding
so do you have any unfinished business with Jason, or are you just
the peanut gallery mouthing off again?
-------------------------
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of David
Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 6:30 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: Addendum - Not responding
ADDENDUM TO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 6:03 PM PT POST: BTW, I
didn't mean to imply that only merchants are at fault. There are
customers who abuse their relationship with merchants - and
feedback
extortion or "give me what I want or else" threats do occur. There
are
customers who are never satisfied unless they get their money back
AND
push to keep items they don't want - and - on top of that they want
more $$ to compensate for their mental anguish or some other vague
aggravation. Word can and should spread about customers who are
persistent headaches - as a "subjective advisory" for others on
both
sides of the seller and buyer equation. It's why a customer or
merchant who complains in public - can be countered with customers
/
merchants who describe "stellar experiences." Yelp is not always a
reliable forum to get a true picture of performance - nor is MoPo -
but if patterns surface more than a few times among diverse
customers
and merchants - then that's what they are, "patterns." - d.
-----Original comment below-----
-------------------------
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of David
Kusumoto <[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 6:03 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: Not responding
HOW ABOUT RESPONDING TO THE WHOLE GROUP AS WELL - TO AVOID ADVERSE
CONSEQUENCES TO YOUR BUSINESS MODEL IN RELATION TO THE 250+ MEMBERS
OF
THE MOPO GROUP?
THE FOLLOWING IS MY OPINION AND NOT NECESSARILY FACT:
When people use any public forum to resolve issues, it's almost
ALWAYS the course of last resort. It means unresolved issues have
been
festering for weeks, months or even longer.
When a customer or customers go public - it's because they're on
the
edge of desperation. And if the merchant in question responds with
something like - "We apologize for the delay and someone will get
back
to you tomorrow" - well, that has about as much credibility as
saying,
"the check is in the mail" or "I never got any of your messages."
* IF DELAYS ARE DUE TO FAMILY OR HEALTH ISSUES WHICH CAN'T BE
HELPED,
PEOPLE ARE VERY FORGIVING UP TO A POINT.
But if service / delivery issues recur and are spread across more
than 1-2 customers who say "yeah, me too" - a merchant then loses
control of his or her story and any effort to resolve problems
one-on-one - go out the window. The problems convert into something
broader that involves staying liquid and saving the business over
reputational issues beyond a merchant's control - because future
potential customers - are now likely to pause before forking over
future dollars for services reported as being undelivered or being
unsatisfactory. Meanwhile, other customers in limbo - will stay
quiet
- because they want their money back - and if they do - they
eventually join the "never again" bad-word-of-mouth campaign that
spreads like wildfire. This is why a damn good explanation is
required
that makes sense.
* Merchants who feel targeted - understand this principle better
when
the tables are turned. For example, you send me $300 for a
flat-panel
TV and I convert it quickly into cash and I then cancel my accounts
to
block future charge backs / refunds - and then ghost a pile of
voice
mails from people asking, "Sorry to bother you but why the delay?"
The
aforementioned is hyperbole, but customers and merchants aren't
mind-readers - and worst case scenarios pop into their heads, even
if
they're off. But if you heard that I have more than 1-2 customers
griping about my services or products - even politely - you're
unlikely to think too much of my reliability score. -d.
-------------------------
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of Jason
Edgerley <[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 4:31 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: Re: Not responding
Yes the website is down and trying to remedy the problem and get
orders out.
Todd and Tommy I will be in touch tomorrow.
On Sep 29, 2023, at 7:24 PM, Todd Feiertag <[email protected]>
wrote:
"...is anyone having problems with movieposterexchange?"
HA!! I paid for several items last April and NEVER received them.
I've emailed Jason at least three times. He originally responded
that
he would send them out after he got back from the Columbus show on
Memorial Day Weekend but that never happened.
Emailed him several times afterwords with NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER!!
I just checked and now it looks like the website is down.
Not sure if it's too late to dispute the charge as it's been 5
months
now but I plan on doing that with my credit card company.
-------------------------
FROM: MoPo List <[email protected]> on behalf of Tommy
Barr
<[email protected]>
SENT: Friday, September 29, 2023 7:17 PM
TO: [email protected] <[email protected]>
SUBJECT: [MOPO] Not responding
I had hoped that it wouldn't be necessary to ask this again, but is
anyone having problems with movieposterexchange?
Tommy
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