Consumers have many options when looking for a business to support. The Internet, national chains and even do-it-yourself websites now compete with local shops for dollars. Whether or not the customer is right doesn’t matter if the customer doesn’t come in the door! Even someone shopping for something like dumpster rentals in Belleville, ON must weigh the options of finding a local business or choosing a national chain. A good customer should always consider a local shop first, if possible. Local businesses have a few advantages over their national and electronic competition that many consumers should already know:
Keeping dollars local benefits the community
Local shops pay local taxes and they use the same resources you do. Their kids attend your schools. They’re protected by the same police and fire services. Their houses generate the same property taxes. They’ve invested in the community by starting a business. By supporting them, you’re investing in their business.
There’s nothing wrong with standing beside a local business owner and watching their business grow together. Supporting your community strengthens it. When that business expands, it’s going to search for workers in the community. More jobs means more money, which starts the cycle again.
The owners of local businesses spend time getting to know their customers
Repeat customers means stable income. building relationships becomes an important part of doing business. Good customer service means anticipating a customer’s need, whether that’s pointing out a new product in the shop or offering a discount to someone who has been a loyal customer for years.
Bigger businesses offer new customer incentives and then increase the prices or take away services once they’ve hooked a customer. Local businesses go the opposite way because they know no advertising works as well as a happy customer who recommends them to friends.
When things don’t go smoothly, local businesses also work harder to keep their customers loyal. They don’t have a customer service line or a form on a website they can use to stonewall somebody upset about a product: they have to spend time mending fences and working on a compromise to keep everyone happy.
The best relationships are the ones tested by adversity. Local businesses that understand their community know how to make things right when missteps occur between a customer and a vendor.
When you buy local, you help out a neighbor
When you buy a donut from a local baker, you create more jobs in your community. When you establish a working relationship with a company that does dumpster rentals in Belleville , ON, you make sure that they cater to your needs directly instead of trying to fit you into a one size fits all situation. When a relationship between a car owner and a local mechanic breaks down, the mechanic works to fix not only the problems with the car, but the problems with the owner as well.
You can make a difference just by choosing the right business to support. Spending money in the local economy by supporting small business makes an impact with every dollar, every day.
