The Productologist

Image via WikipediaThis is my first off-topic post (NOTE: there’s still some Product Management stuff at the end…I just couldn’t help myself), but I just had to rave about this: SoBotanical Shave Gel. I was reluctant to try it at first, but I decided that I was being ridiculously stubborn about not trying it so I ordered it. Plus it was recommended by a friend who said, “It’s the bomb! You won’t be disappointed, man.” And he was right, although he may be slightly biased, since SoBotanical is run by his wife.

First, a little history about me and shaving (if you have read this far and feel that the remainder of this post might be too much information for your comfort level, fee free to go here or here instead)–

1. I’m a guy
2. I’ve been shaving my facial hair since I was about 14
3. I’ve never considered myself (or been considered by others) as a metrosexual
4. I prefer to shave without any sort of shaving cream (just a razor and some water; a trick I learned back in high school when I had to shave after soccer practice in the school locker room before 2nd period)

Now, given items 2 through 4 on the list above, why would I consider using a shave gel at this point in my life? No reason at all. It was a whim that was only slightly influenced by the aforementioned friend’s recommendation.

But he was spot on about this stuff being the bomb! It’s been a VERY long time since any part of my body was “baby-bottom” smooth, but that’s what my face felt like the first time I used this stuff. As an added bonus, it goes on clear, so if you have a goatee or sideburns, you can see where you are shaving. Plus it smells nice and is made of all natural ingredients. I have already recommended it to the BW to try (not for her face, though), but I may regret that if she likes it as much as I do.

Even though I said this was off-topic, I am still going to add few Product Management comments–

When I ordered the Shave Gel on the SoBotanical website, I was charged tax, which because I am not a resident of the state where SoBotanical operates, I shouldn’t have (I am aware of the laws around sales tax and out-of-state purchases, but the general rule is that retailers do not charge tax for product shipped to states where they do not have a physical presence). I didn’t even notice this, but when I received my order, there was a hand-written note saying that I shouldn’t have been charged the sales tax ($0.87 on my order) and a crisp $1 bill included as a refund. There was also a free lip balm included as a good will gesture.

Another issue was that the Shave Gel had recently been re-formulated and they didn’t yet have the new label with the ingredients. There was also a note about this in the order with an apology so that I would know that something was missing.

Both of these actions speak to the importance of proactively communicating with customers when for whatever reason, they receive a product, service or have an interaction with your organization that is less than what is expected (by them or you).

SoBotanical could have easily done nothing. I would not have even noticed that there was no ingredients label and would have scoffed at asking for a refund of 87 cents if I had noticed that. But by addressing them before I even asked or noticed, SoBotanical reinforced their commitment to serving their customers above their own benefit and in return, they will get repeat business from me and good will about their products and service.

Isn’t that how you want your customers to feel about YOUR products?

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 6:31 am PT and is filed under Customers, Off-Topic, Recommended.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.