We get this question more often now that the internet is the “mall” of the 21st Century. Today’s consumer is extremely savvy and more informed than ever before. Consumers now go to Google for price comparisons and reviews so that they know what they need before they ever set foot in a store.
Oftentimes, customers will find that the prices offered by online companies are cheaper than their “live” competitors. So, if the online price is cheaper, why should you ever purchase a product from a local company?
Because we get this question every day, we want to help Here are just a few compelling reasons why we think we’re worth it:
1. Have you ever tried calling an online water softener sales company? Try it sometime. I actually tried calling Quality Water Treatment this morning and I was unable to speak to a live person on the phone. I tried several extensions (including their sales line), but all I got was an automated messaging system directing me to e-mail them or use their online chat feature. If you call our company, our receptionists are right there to assist you. We also have service techs who can speak to you right over the phone to assist with basic questions.
2. We honor our warranties, in person, making warranty calls as simple as possible for our customers. If anything breaks on our equipment we will send someone to your home within 24 hours to replace the broken part. With an online company, I doubt they would be able to send someone to your home. Most likely, you would have to determine what part wasn’t working and then ship it to them, and then wait for them to ship you the new part.
3. We are a local company and we support other local businesses. As a small business, we tend to give our business to other small businesses. All of our advertising materials, employee uniforms, etc. come from other local companies. By supporting us, you are in turn helping to support even more local commerce!
4. To us, you are not just a name. You are a person. In fact, you might even be our neighbor! If you want the personalized touch, we’re you’re guys. The owner of Peterson Salt has lived in Minnetonka his whole life and he still makes personal calls to customers’ homes from time-to-time. We never outsource our work and we do our best to remember who you are — even if all of our interactions with you are over the phone and we never meet you in person. You’d be surprised how good we can be at recognizing a familiar voice.