Perception Matters – Even in Plumbing

Have you ever thought about how little it takes to implant an opinion in someone’s mind? I learned this on a recent expedition to engage in a little home-plumbery.

Recently, I decided to cook myself dinner. And I’m not talking about throwing a frozen TV dinner into the microwave here; I was going all out and making Tandoori chicken (minus the clay oven) with a lentil-potato salad. Like all great chefs, I prefer a spotless organized kitchen so I clean as I go (ok, that’s a blatant lie, but I do try to keep things somewhat in control as I clean).

All was going well until I threw a bowl into the sink and ran the faucet to soak it. As the water was running I concerned myself with other tasks. I check back in on my bowl and notice that the sink is filling up with water. My first thought is that the bowl has stopped up the drain, but when I moved the bowl nothing changed. Hmmm. My next thought was that some food was stopping up the drain, but when I ran the garbage disposal nothing happened. Hmmm…

I pull the bowl completely out and run the garbage disposal again and notice that while the disposal is making the water swirl, it is not draining. Then the slow horrific truth sinks in: I have a clog.

My first thought was “Oh dear.” Ok, to be honest, my first thought was, “G$# D^%% !@#$ ^&($#!!!!” Which roughly translates to “Ding Happens”

This exact same problem happened about 10 months ago, and that time I called a plumber and it cost me around $200 to get it fixed (more than that actually, ’cause he upsold me on replacing a pipe at the same time.) I had no desire to pay another $200 to fix the same problem.

I have historically been not the not the best at the household repair type stuff, but this time I said, “I shall sally forth and make this valiant attempt myself.” Ok, to be honest, what I said was, “There is no way I am paying no !@#$ ^&($#!!!! dollars to fix my !@#$ ^&($#!!!! pipe again!” Which roughly translates to “it’s time you learned how to do this stuff and save yourself some money.”

I was happy with this plan, because I felt like I was implementing my own advice from my blog post, Your (Near) Decade-End Kick in the Ass! One of the questions I pose in there is, “what are you able to do now that you were not able to do a year ago?” For me, basic plumbing was it.

In order to fix the clog, I needed a pipe snake (or “auger” as it is technically called). I would have gone to my neighborhood hardware store, but it closes at 6PM, and it was now 6:15PM (my industrious motivation was ill-timed). This means I would have to go to either Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Both stores are located right next to each other, so there was no difference in driving time. I instinctively chose Lowe’s. Why? good question, and one I did not right away have the answer to. As I thought about it, I realized it came down to two things:

1. Something a Friend Said – A friend once told me that Home Depot positions itself as more “hard core,” whereas Lowe’s sets itself up as more user friendly. They do this via the layout, lighting, etc. I have no idea if this is true. I can say that I have been in both stores and other than the color scheme, I have never noticed a difference. And yet, this statement that a friend told me years ago stuck out in my head. So when I, an admitted, “not so great at the home repair type stuff,” guy, needed some equipment, I went to Lowe’s.
2. Something I Read – I recently read an online listing of “Worst Customer Service Companies.” Home Depot was on that list. As I said, I have been to both Home Depot and Lowe’s a few times, and have never had bad service. If you took all the branding away, I certainly couldn’t tell you which store I was in based on the “customer experience” I had. And I am pretty sure the article was referring more to their service when it came to returns and dealing with bad equipment, which wouldn’t really apply to me here. But, all other things being equal, I went to the store that did not appear in the article on bad customer service.

Amazing! Looking at my own personal history, I did not have a single experience to validate either of those two claims. But both of those things led me to Lowe’s over Home Depot.

The Lesson

Impressions matter. Positioning matters. How people perceive you matters. The playing field is getting very level. Malls have two or three (if not dozens) of stores for you to buy what you want. Competing stores open right next to each other – Home depot down the street from Lowe’s, McDonald’s across the street from Burger King, Borders a block or two away from Barnes and Nobles). And the internet opens the field up to hundreds and thousands of alternatives to you.

With this much choice, things start to look equal. When that happens consumers will decide based on their perception of you, valid or not.

This is why it so critical to make creating a positive impression an “automatic response.” Whether it’s a teenager working the register, a customer service rep answering the phone, a salesperson making a sales call, or an executive giving an interview, every instance someone in your organization interacts with the public is a touch point that can either help or hurt.

People make quick judgements that aren’t always rational. I made a choice based on two things I can’t even say I agree with. Take a look at your business and organization (and personal life) and make an honest assessment as to whether the impressions that are being sent out are the ones you want sent out. If not, change them now. Otherwise people may be passing you by and you would never even know it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my kitchen sink and a pipe snake…