Why Hugging Your Customers Makes You Money, says CEO, Scott Sharkey of Sharkey's Cuts for Kids

1. You attract the best employees!  It's more fun and more rewarding to work in a hugging culture,  and employees who were superstars elsewhere find they make more money with us.  They do better and Sharkey's does better.

2. Traditional marketing costs are lower. Marketing costs are lower in a hugging culture because your huggers are your marketers.  Instead of having to run lots of expensive ads in the media that you are never really sure your customers see, you build systems and processes that help your huggers market.

3. Gross margins are higher, because we sell more haircuts and retail items at regular or higher prices.  When you've developed a genuine relationship with a customer, where they trust you and know you'll be fair to them, they'll also be fair to you.  That means they'll be less interested only in what's on sale or what's the cheapest haircut in town.

4. The revenue stream is long term and not highly variable.  Since we stay focused and close to what our customers desire, we don't have the ups and downs that other businesses go through.  The relationships you build up with the customers mean that when they're ready to get a haircut, they come to Sharkey's rather than shop around to five or six different salons or barber shops.   

5. Real estate costs are lower, because we don't have to pay for the ultra-best location.  Many of our salons are not in the best spot in town, because it's not essential when you've got loyal customer relationships built on a hugging culture.

"Thank you Jack", says CEO Scott Sharkey
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