AmiSight 8/10: The Last Thing We Still Agree On
I found myself smiling while reading a Wall Street Journal article about Costco.
The article isn't really about retail. It's about how, in a world where everyone seems to consume different media, follow different influencers, and live in different realities, Costco has somehow become one of the few things almost everybody seems to like. Rich or poor. Young or old. Republican or Democrat. People genuinely enjoy going there.
That got me thinking.
I don't believe people are loyal to Costco because of the hot dogs or the rotisserie chickens. Those things help, but they're not the story.
The story is trust.
Customers know what they're going to get. Fair prices. Good value. A company that generally does what it says it's going to do. That's surprisingly rare.
It made me wonder what would happen if more businesses thought about becoming the "Costco" of their industry.
Not the biggest. Not the cheapest. Just the one that customers trust so much they can't help telling other people about it.
Marketing matters. Branding matters. But over time, trust wins. It always does.
TRUST is indeed a game changing dynamic that folks routinely forget about - or simply ignore. My dad taught me early on that reputation - TRUST - is important in life, as it is in business. Something we should NEVER FORGET Amy. Thanks for the reminder.
JP