The Value of Being a Customer

Every company’s greatest assets are its customers, because without customers, there is no company.

—Michael Leboeuf, author of “How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life”

All of us count as an extremely valuable customer to our local businesses. Owning a business in the Evergreen area is not a hobby; it is a way of life that we all participate in to sustain. Michael Leboeuf is spot on when he refers to customers as an asset. Think about it. Small business in the mountain community has had to reinvent how it operates during COVID-19. Some have had to add online selling, some have had to expand into the great outdoors and all have had to watch and follow the Jefferson County Public Health guidelines for safe operations to protect employees and customers alike.

Why did our local businesses spend precious dollars to adapt? They have had to do all of this for us, the customer. They have adapted to environmental challenges to create a customer experience that we need to connect to and support. Did our businesses have to change? Yes. If they wanted to stay open and provide the services we all require, they needed to change, and they did. Now we all need to step up the amount of local shopping we are doing in order to thank them for changing for us. The businesses have taken into consideration what their customers require to feel confident when shopping. Without customers spending money, the necessary changes that were put in place will be all for naught.

Companies across our area are different than they were in January. Foot traffic is down, regular medical checkups have been on hold for months and all of our large events that bring visitors have been cancelled. Leboeuf states that without customers there is no company. We as a community cannot let that happen. The time is now to support local business. Help them thrive. It impacts our property values and our way of life in a positive way and it takes a village to make it happen. Be a customer.

Have you heard about the fox hunt? The Conifer and Evergreen Chambers are celebrating our businesses being open with a good old-fashioned summer scavenger hunt. Download a game card for either Conifer or Evergreen (or both) with a list of participating businesses from our websites. Stop by each business and find the fox. Tell us, “What does the fox say?” Once your game card has 15 businesses filled out, it can be turned in to the Chamber office or emailed to admin@evergreenchamber.org and be entered into a bi-weekly drawing. We have a ton of prizes to give away! And while stopping into our businesses, remember to buy something and thank them for changing the way they do business to protect you, the all important customer. The hunt ends August 31 and new foxholes are added every week.

Last month, we declared business appreciation month. Please join your Evergreen Chamber in continuing to support local business. Do you have a business that is not yet a member of the Chamber? Give us a call. We would love to share with you how we can help increase your exposure, get connected and find your most valuable asset—the customer. We are here to promote our community, build business and relationships. The Chamber has grown steadily over the last six years and we are proud of our members, our not-yet members and our residents.

Remember, every business is NOW OPEN. Show how thankful you are that they have survived by shopping local. Make appointments with your doctor, dentist, orthodontists, etc., that you have been putting off this spring. Get yourself back on track just like our businesses are. Do some shopping for yourself and loved ones and enjoy getting out and about.