A former recruiter trained in the art of networking, this small-business owner harnesses the power of personal. Find out how she built her business on relationships.
FEBRUARY 02, 2015
When Beth Davidson becomes friends with her customers, she knows she’s succeeded at her No. 1 goal: making customer service top priority. “If I’m on a first name basis with my customers, I’ve humanized my business,” says the owner of The Dragonfly Shops & Gardens in Orange, California. “In order to be successful, you have to be personal.”
Davidson’s brick-and-mortar lifestyle shop carries a wide variety of home and garden goods, including housewares, jewelry, clothing, and plants and garden art; offers classes; and provides a venue for birthday parties, weekend retreats and weddings. Whatever the small-business owner cooks up at the bustling shop focuses on people connecting with people.
From Recruiter to Shop Owner
Davidson is no stranger to networking. A former executive recruiter for 20 years, she decided to leave the recruiting business in March 2007 to open up Dragonfly Shops & Gardens in order to “feed a need to bead.” After beading for 30 years, Davidson wanted a place to showcase and sell her jewelry, so she opened the Dragonfly.
The shop is located in a 1924 former house that consists of 1,500 square feet, including a yard where she carries garden products. In July 2013, after weathering the recession and continuing to grow, she doubled her space by setting up the Dragonfly Studio in another historic house next door. While the first building holds the merchandise, the second serves as an indoor and outdoor art studio and classroom space.
“The studio has the same welcoming vibe as the shop—with lots of character,” says Davidson. “The space features incredible artists and instructors who are known throughout the community.”
The studio harkens back to Davidson’s original intent with the shop. “When I first opened the business, my primary emphasis was holding beading classes, so I reserved one room as a classroom,” she says. “In the retail world, they might have called that move ‘Beth’s Folly,’ because it would be considered sacrilegious to use retail space for a classroom.”
The tactic increased customer engagement and business, though. “Those who came to bead were introduced to the shop and vice versa,” Davidson says. “Best of all, many customers have taken my beading class for several years and have become great friends.”
Hang Out at the Cash Register
Davidson also bucks tradition when it comes to advice regarding working more efficiently. “I’ve gone to business building seminars where they advise small-business owners to work smarter and not tend the cash register, but that’s where all of your customers wind up,” Davidson says.
“I’m the face and voice of the Dragonfly, and I need to be present and accounted for,” she adds. “Recently, I went into the shop on a Saturday planning to get a lot done, but I spent 95 percent of the day chatting with customers. Though I had a long to-do list, I realized that engaging with customers and encouraging the personalized culture we’ve created at the Dragonfly was what I needed to do that day.”
Make it Personal Online
When it comes to her virtual presence, Davidson keeps it just as personal. “I’m so tied into the Dragonfly that I don’t ever post on my personal Facebook page,” she says. “If anyone wants to see what’s going on with me, they’ll find it on my fan page. Just recently someone came in to remind me that I hadn’t sent out an email for a few weeks. Her comment showed me that customers are looking for a sense of belonging and community, even online, and those business owners who provide it will reap the rewards of increased business.”
It Takes a Village to Build a Small Business
Davidson will be the first tell you that she couldn’t have grown her business alone. Those she enlists to help, such as her two employees and 15 instructors, have done a great deal to spread the Dragonfly vision.
“The studio is instructor inspired,” she says. “I knew I wanted to expand and that I couldn’t possibly fill up the studio space on my own, so I reached out to a group of fabulous instructors who also bring in students. All of this connecting has resulted in the Dragonfly becoming a hub with an exponential reach.”
Once a month, the Dragonfly also hosts the Marketplace, where 20 to 25 local artisans sell their products. Davidson started the event six years ago as a way to give the many artisans coming into the shop a venue.
“People would come in with great products, but I didn’t have any space available, so we started holding the Marketplace, and it’s a big hit. We don’t make money on the event itself, but it brings people in and keeps us current and relevant,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to share your resources—doing so will pay you back ten-fold.”
Be Real
Davidson’s most important advice regarding effective customer service is probably the simplest. “Customers aren’t looking for perfect,” she says. “It’s okay to let them see you make a mistake—that shows you’re human. Do your absolute best, but don’t let paralysis from analysis stop you. I had a customer tell me the other day that my shop is the antithesis of the mall. That made me feel great and showed me that the Dragonfly is as personalized as you can get.”
Read more articles on customer engagement.
Photos: iStockphoto; Courtesy of Dragonfly Shop & Garden (2)
