Over my lifetime, my family has become friends with a local business owner, who owns and runs The 700 Shop in Kittanning, PA. The shop specializes in men’s clothing and shoes, however, over the years, Turney has diversified his inventory to meet the market needs and diversified his income streams. Turney and his wife Lori own the business and work in the store, and Turney’s two sisters work in the store. One of the sisters is a seamstress who does alterations on the men’s suits and clothing repairs as needed, the other sister is a sales person. It is truly a family run business.
Turney is an exceptional business owner, and salesperson. I have witnessed him selling many things to both of my parents and he has sold shoes, coats and clothing to myself and my sister. In order to be successful long term, in a small town like Kittanning, Turney has had to be in tune with the needs and wants of his market and has had to be creative in figuring out ways to generate revenue all year. The store is chock full of inventory, from men’s suits, blazers, jeans, shoes, shirts, hats, coats and also women’s clothing and shoes. In addition, he rents Tuxedos and shoes for proms and weddings and other special occasions. On top of that, Turney has created lasting relationships with the local schools, businesses and organizations and has a very successful income stream from getting shirts and jackets custom printed and embroidered for all of those customers. He’s also very generous and sponsors fundraisers and donates shirts for promotional purposes. I think by being seen as very much a part of the community, Turney has been able to grow and expand his customer base across the board. By being involved with the local school and sports teams, the 700 Shop is put in front of all of the students and their parents. This means he not only gets the school shirt and jacket business, but also gains the individual’s business for prom tuxedos, weddings, clothing, shoes, businessmen suits and on and on.
When selling products to customers, Turney always listens to the customer’s needs. He wants to know what the customer is looking for, what they are using the item for, is it a gift or for himself. He always makes us feel like he is glad to see us, and is always attentive and always has suggestions, and definitely ups his sales by suggesting more, and different products. He uses sincere flattery as well, especially when selling to my mother. As my mother does most of the shopping, she actually relies on Turney’s expertise and judgement regarding shirts and ties and jackets for my father. Turney not only is in tune with my father’s tastes, likes and dislikes, but he remembers them and is able to give suggestions for shirts and ties, and sizes. I have also witnessed Turney demonstrate that he is knowledgeable about current clothing trends and styles, such as plain front pants, or the length of men’s suit jacket sleeves. Again, Turney has knowledge and expertise regarding the merchandise he sells and he makes the customer feel like they are getting good advice, quality product and that they are being cared for sincerely. I would say that Turney practices attunement very well. He seeks to understand and relate to the customer and he does it in a sincere, caring way.
testacr22
This is such a great example! It’s awesome that you have been able to witness this.
What really stood out to me was the lasting relationships that have been built. Simply by being willing to listen, Turney has been able to have a deep impact across the community.
It is very helpful to see examples where the community involvement of a business is so closely tied to its business model and so integral to its success. The way that the business works in tandem with the community and, in turn, reaps the benefits of a steady, multi-generational customer base is encouraging and definitely promotes a healthy business model.