"Good" Business
The products or services I like and don't like are listed below:
Column 1
(products / services I like)
|
Column 2
(products / services I don't like)
|
- Apple iPod Touch
- My friend who makes handmade jewelry
- My favorite coffee/lunch shop
- TurboTax tax prep software
- My shoe store
|
-
Verizon
- BP (British Petroleum)
- Perdue Chicken
- The guy who fixed my PC last time
- The guy who gets businesses to pay him for towing cars
|
Why are businesses on one side or the other? For me it's about several different elements. Here's how I would explain my column 1 choices:
Value far exceeds price. TurboTax, for instance, seems to save me more than it costs.
These products are superior to competitors. Apple stands out because I've been wrestling with a new Web-enabled cell phone that is lousy at doing things that my iPod Touch does very well.
These businesses seem to understand my needs and wants. I love my coffee shop because it is close, it has a great music playlist, wonderful coffee that they grind on-site, friendly service, and because they once gave me $50 in free coffee when my car got towed from across the street (see column 2). They seem to know me and care about me. I feel the same way about my shoe store: they are willing to spend 30 minutes with me fitting a shoe and watching me run to see if it is a good choice for my style. You might disagree, because these products or services are targeted to me but maybe not to you.
They seem to be good citizens. My shoe store, for instance, sponsors lots of local road and trail races. They make my town a better place.
