I was doing some cleanup around the house this weekend and finally got around to a large pile of junk mail sitting on the counter (you know you have one too). One of the items sitting there was a set of calendars and a form letter from the sales agent of the builder of my house (bought two years ago).

Realtors are trained that this farming is a good sales practice. Send out something to every potential prospect on your list and keep multiple touch points. While I question the actual returns of this tactic, it really only works if there is at least a neutral opinion of the salesperson.

The problem is that this realtor was not helpful during the sales process. Additionally, she was not pleasant (I actually thought her to be mean) and generally gave me a very negative impression.

So no matter how many calendars she sends me, I’m never going to do business with her. In fact, any time I’m referring someone to a realtor I make sure I mention her name as someone to stay away from.

For no cost at the time of our interaction, she could have turned me into a potential customer simply by her actions and how she handled herself. Sending me a useless calendar is not going to win my business when all I wanted was some respect.

I read that Circuit City, despite its troubles, was continuing its multi-quarter turnaround plan.

Here’s my free advice to Circuit City – copy Best Buy. Yes, it’s quite simple advice. Just hang out at your local Best Buy (Circuit City management you may have noticed they’re everywhere now) and start taking notes.

The last time I ventured into a Circuit City store I felt the atmosphere to be dark and depressing. Additionally, the sales people pounced on you as soon as you neared their section.

Contrast this to Best Buy – bright with good lighting, well thought-out store layout, friendly and non-pushy sales people. Where I was once loathe to talk to a Circuit City employee, I happily seek out Best Buy workers and pester them with questions and opinions.

The lesson? Place a high priority on the customer experience. Returning customers are always a good starting point.