Movie Lessons: High Fidelity Teaches us five ways to win customers

It is time for another movie lesson. This episode’s lesson, Five ways to win customers, comes from High Fidelity.

It is no secret John Cusack is one of my favorite actors.  The film centers on Cusack’s character, Rob Gordon,  as he struggles with relationships and a failing record store.  I caught a bit of it recently on Hulu.  In the scene below, Rob is discussing the top five things he misses about his girl. I think we can learn a lot from these in our pursuit to win customers.

If you can’t see the video click here

1. Humor/Smile: Smiling and a good sense of humor go a long way to break the ice and build bridges. Think of the friends you like to spend time with.  I bet they smile and laugh often.  Help people have fun to build customers.

2. Character: Trust is a currency. Honesty, loyalty, and doing the right thing will never go out of style. Consumers are fed up with crooked CEOs, snake oil salesman, and insincere brands. They are looking for organizations with integrity to commit to.

3. Feel like home: People do business with brands they feel comfortable with.  Create an environment where people fit in.  There is a Japanese restaurant near our house that serves great food. The reason we go so often is because it feels like going to a friends house for dinner.

4. Walk with grace: One of the things you notice about great brands is they carry themselves with a sense of self assurance.  I like to wear Vans because they are cool (cough) and because they won over me years ago with an attitude I wanted to mirror. Be confident and generous. Be humble and assertive. You will win customers.

5: Be unique: The world is full of average. You are one in a billion. Don’t be afraid to show the world what makes you YOU. People aren’t looking for robots or perfection. They are looking for someone real and authentic. Last time I checked humans do business with other humans.

There is probably a list of 1,000 ways to win customers.  One thing is true. People generally do business with people they like. These five recommendations will  help you grow your business.  What ways do you win customers?