A Customer brought me FLOWERS!!!

[OakLeaf]

Those kinds of acknowledgments are so rewarding. Good for you!!!

[sundial]

That's a reflection of the kind of person you are. People in your area will be very lucky to have someone give them such personal service.

[Geonz]

Maybe he *does* know how hard it is ... either way... you both rock

[Mr. Bloom]

RM:

In banking, we refer to the start-up period as the "stabilization period"...in other words, it's a tenuous balance.

I encourage you to be a walking billboard (so to speak). Don't have a "we've built it, now they'll come" attitude. Go out and bring them in...somehow. Remember, the retail business is selling...and you have to sell your LBS in a competitive world.

One of the ways you do that is to create an incredible customer experience (as you've done with this guy) but ask them to pass on their experience as well.

A satisfied customer tells 5 people; a dissatisfied one tells 20 people. If you ask him, I bet you can get a guy like this to tell 50 people simply because you exceeded his expectation!

This post may be received uncomfortably by you...I hope not; that's not my goal...but success is an outcome of active effort. The more active you are, the more outcome you get.

[Tri Girl]

How wonderfully encouraging that you received some much needed positive feedback. You're doing a great job, and your business will survive because you believe in yourself and your good service will shine through.
I'm so excited for you!!!

[crazycanuck]

That's cool RM!!! Keep up the good work with the clientelle and word will get round that your bike shop is the best in the area

Ironman-again denise, no matter what you do, just remember that you're an amazing chickie just for doing the event! (((Denise))

I also have to ask you, does your bike shop sell http://www.lightweights.org/store/home.php?cat=1?? I'd like to purchase some and thought if you sold them at your shop, i'd happily buy them from you

[Running Mommy]

Thanks all!
CC-I'll have to search the catalogs. I'll get back to you..

Mr. Silver, Thank you for the reminder to sell myself every chance I get.
Mr. Flowers told me that he was at a big box sports store the other day, and he overheard a customer asking the salesman about tri bikes. This store doesn't carry tri bikes, so as soon as the guy walked away mr. flowers gave him my card and told him to go see us because we did. He told him "the owner is an ironman, she knows tri bikes inside and out- and they will give you a great deal".
So hopefully the guy comes in.
But yeah, you can't sit back and just expect biz to come to you. We are advertising, getting rides organized, and even trying to have a demo day with some other vendors.