Customers do not just choose the cheapest option. They choose the business that delivers consistent, memorable experiences. Being chosen is not only about winning today’s sale. It is about creating loyal advocates who return, tell others, and build your long-term brand value.
3 Key Actions
- Build consistency into every customer interaction, online and in-store.
- Deliver moments of service that surprise and delight.
- Do the unscalable at the right times to create brand storytellers who spread your reputation.
Quick Start 30 Day Plan
- Week 1: Write down one simple service promise, such as “Every customer gets a response in under 5 minutes.” Share it with your team.
- Week 2: Add one small, unexpected gesture to every transaction, such as carrying bags to the car or sending a thank you follow-up.
- Week 3: Collect and publish three customer stories or testimonials that show reliability.
- Week 4: Create a simple checklist of service standards and review it with your team weekly.
Small actions compound into long-term loyalty. Even a quick follow-up call or thank you note can create a story customers repeat for years.
Why Being Chosen Matters
- 64% of customers say customer experience matters more than price (1).
- 73% say a good experience is what makes them loyal (2).
- In Ireland, 77% of people research local businesses weekly (3).
In Article 2 we saw how being seen puts you in the conversation. In Article 3 we saw how being known builds recognition and reputation. Article 4 is about what happens next. Once people find you and know you, how do you make sure they choose you? The answer is customer experience.
Two of my favorite books shaped how I think about this. Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality shows that success comes from thoughtful touches that make people feel seen and valued. Ken Blanchard’s Raving Fans argues that “satisfied customers” are not enough. Both remind us that the real goal is to create loyalty so strong that people cannot help but talk about you.
What Great Customer Experience Looks Like
- Consistency: Every channel, whether in-store, online, or by phone, delivers the same reliable help.
- Responsiveness: Customers never feel ignored. Even a fast acknowledgement builds trust.
- Follow-through: Promises are kept every time. Reliability is proven by action.
- Delight: Small gestures make big impressions. Carry a bag to the car. Offer quick advice. Celebrate a customer’s project publicly.
- Environment: Your store and your team set the tone. Do people leave saying “that was easy and friendly” or “that was stressful and confusing”? A bright, clean store with organised aisles, clear signage, and a team that greets people warmly leaves a very different impression than a dim, cluttered space where customers struggle to find help. The hum of forklifts, the smell of fresh-cut wood, and the difference between being welcomed at the door or ignored all become part of what customers remember.
Customers do not just remember what they buy. They remember how the store made them feel.
Proof from Zappos
Even giant companies lean on the same principles independents have always excelled at. Zappos became legendary not because of shoes, but because of service. Founder Tony Hsieh built the company on the belief that creating happiness would create loyalty. One call lasted more than ten hours. Another time, flowers were sent to a grieving customer.
These acts cannot be done for everyone, but they became stories that spread worldwide. That is the same opportunity local businesses already have. Independents are closer to their customers and can often deliver a more personal touch than any global brand.
Hardware Example: Going Beyond the Transaction
I have seen this same principle play out in hardware. A contractor once arrived late in the day, needing supplies to finish a job before a storm rolled in. Instead of turning him away, the store owner stayed open, helped load the truck by hand, and made sure he had everything he needed to keep working. The job was saved, and that contractor told the story to others in town.
One unforgettable act like that can be worth dozens of new customers. Research shows that customer stories spread faster and last longer than paid ads, because people trust what their peers share far more than what they see in marketing (4).
The Building Blocks of Being Chosen
1 Be Consistent
Customers want to know what to expect every time they deal with you.
– ROI: A 5% increase in retention can increase profits by 25% to 95% (5).
2 Be Responsive
Fast acknowledgement shows respect.
– ROI: Responding within 5 minutes makes you 21 times more likely to convert (6).
3 Be Proactive
Offer guidance before a sale. Publish tips, guides, and videos.
– ROI: 54% of buyers are more likely to purchase from companies that share educational content(7).
4 Be Trustworthy
Use reviews and testimonials to show that customers consistently choose you.
– ROI: Reviews make customers 3.3 times more likely to convert (8).
5 Be Memorable
Add hospitality touches that create stories worth sharing.
– ROI: Deloitte found emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied customers (9).
Creating Loyal Advocates
Being chosen once is not enough. The real opportunity is turning customers into loyal advocates.
Advocates are buyers who do more than return. They share their story. They tell friends and family. They bring others into your orbit. They become your most powerful salespeople. Small wins are what get you there. A thank you note.
Remembering a name. Carrying lumber to a customer’s truck. Celebrating a customer’s project on your social media. These gestures turn a transaction into a story worth sharing.
And stories spread. Advocates multiply because their enthusiasm makes new customers want to become lifelong customers too.
Doing the Unscalable
Not every gesture can be repeated for every single customer. That is the point.
I grew up watching this first-hand in my dad’s hardware and lumber store. He often went above and beyond, no matter how inconvenient. One time, a woman needed materials delivered before a holiday gathering. Instead of waiting for the delivery truck, my dad loaded the order into his personal pickup, drove it out himself, and hand-unloaded every piece into her second-story attic so she could finish the project in time. That was not efficient. It was not scalable. But it was unforgettable. She told that story for years, and so did we. It became part of the store’s reputation.
Doing the unscalable means choosing moments where you go above and beyond, knowing you cannot do it all the time, but also knowing it will create a story that gets retold.
One handwritten thank you note, one late-night delivery, one follow-up call to check if the job got done. Small wins create stories. And stories create brand storytellers who spread your reputation farther than any advertisement.
The Risk of Standing Still
If you treat service and environment as afterthoughts:
- Customers drift to competitors who make them feel valued.
- Your brand becomes forgettable, competing only on price.
- You miss the multiplier effect of word-of-mouth loyalty.
The Payoff
When you focus on customer experience:
- Customers come back, again and again.
- You build long-term brand value that protects margin.
- Satisfied buyers become lifelong customers who recruit others into your brand.
Tying It All Together
Visibility gets you in the game. Article 2 showed why you must Be Seen because referrals are no longer enough and customers research before they buy. Article 3 explained how to Be Known by building recognition and reputation through consistency, stories, and proof.
What gets you to Be Chosen is how customers experience your business: the consistency of your service, the atmosphere of your store, and the stories you create when you go above and beyond. When you put all three steps together – Be Seen, Be Known, Be Chosen – you move from being just another hardware store to becoming the obvious, trusted, and preferred choice in your market.
Start small this week. Pick one customer and do something they will never forget. That story will travel farther than any advertisement.
Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint, www.gritblueprint.com, a brand and visibility strategy firm helping hardware and building materials businesses become unmistakable category leaders. She created the Grit Blueprint Framework, Be Seen. Be Known. Be Chosen, and combines her family hardware store roots with Fortune 500 sales and marketing leadership to help independent retailers, distributors, and manufacturers grow. Using AI-powered tools such as voice agents, search optimisation, and content automation, she helps clients increase visibility, strengthen customer relationships, and drive measurable growth. Connect with her on LinkedIn or at stefanie@gritblueprint.com.
