I was surprised by the out of the ordinary and friendly “Hi there sir, did you find everything you needed?” See, like all of us I’m conditioned to expect the traditional I’m-only-here-because-my-mom-made-me-get-a-job cash register sentinel. But this gentlemen was different, he was just that, a gentlemen – it was intuitive with one look. Older and experienced, there because he chose to be, genuinely friendly. Then it happened, with noticeable shame he looked down and with forced speech stammered, “uh, would you like to save 10% today?” Silence followed by more, I tried to find something to say to repair what we both knew could be a genuine, and lasting buying experience if only he was not required by some corporate policy configured in cubicle vacuum that states something like, “if  we offer the card at every transaction our conversion will increase by x.” 

This improves my life time value? Really? Than why does this experience conjure up images of your managers looting my home, savings account and scavenging even the smallest nickels in my cushions. This nice man had to hide his true ambition, a happy customer so impressed with the service that I’d be more likely to mention it to all my friends – what’s the return on that word of mouth? I hope next time he follows his business 6th sense, his intuition, that whispers “data be damned, relationships matter most.”