Chapter 11: Letting Them Come behind the Counter

Overview

Tupperware used to be sold through neighborhood parties. They were fun. You saw everyone in the neighborhood, and you got the opportunity to buy some kitchen storage containers that you couldn’t buy in stores.

There is an old story about a Tupperware salesman who was all thumbs. He arrived at a party with a big box of Tupperware products and a catalog, but he did not seem to know his business. He took each item out of the box and could not remember its name or its price, or even what it was used for. He was an embarrassment to the group. After watching him flounder around for about 10 minutes, members of the party began to help him. They took items out of his box, looked them up in his catalog, and figured out the prices for him. Soon, everyone in the room was assisting this helpless man. By the time the party was over, the man had sold more Tupperware than most salesmen sold in a week. In fact, this was his standard method of operation. He always appeared befuddled. He sold Tupperware by getting customers involved.

That is what is happening today on the Web. Instead of the standard “We demonstrate, you watch,” companies are learning to let customers come behind the counter and figure things out for themselves. In many cases, this is proving highly profitable.

There has always been a distance between suppliers and customers. This distance is typified by the counter. The clerk stands on one side, ready to answer questions and ring up sales. You stand on the other side waiting for service. You are not supposed to invade the clerk’s space. All of this is changing with the Web.

The Web permits customers to get instant access to lots of information that previously was available only through telephone calls or personal visits. Federal Express was one of the first to start this with its package tracking system. Today, anyone can enter a FedEx package number on the FedEx Web site and instantly find out what has happened to the package at each point in its journey. Before FedEx had this Web site, you could call a FedEx operator and get the same information—in fact, you can still do that today. But by going to the Web, you can get the information faster, you never get put on hold, and you can print out all the information on your PC printer. It is a wonderful system for the customer. How is it for FedEx? It is a huge cost saving. Toll-free calls to operators cost companies between $2 and $7 per call, including the cost of the call and the cost of the operator. Web visits cost absolutely nothing once the system is set up and running.