🤵🏼‍♂️ How can we all be a little more Alfred?

Hi there,

When I was growing up, I worked in my family’s retail clothing store.

Like many small shops, the sales floor was a mix of personalities; some transactional, some chatty. But one person always stood out.

Let’s call him Richard.

Richard worked for my father, and before that, my grandfather. He stayed with the business for over 25 years.

Month in, month out, he was the top salesman. At Christmas, you’d often see him helping three customers at once—effortlessly, calmly. People would come into the shop and ask for him by name. They didn’t want “a salesperson.” They wanted Richard.

What made him so good wasn’t charm or pushiness. It wasn’t clever tactics or fancy offers. It was simple: he listened.

Richard was the kind of person who would genuinely tune in to what a customer was saying, even when it had nothing to do with clothes. Sometimes, someone would come in just to chat. And Richard would listen.

In between those conversations, he’d gently suggest a new product, guide them through the decision, and make them feel completely at ease. Every interaction felt personal, thoughtful, and unhurried.

And perhaps it won’t surprise you to learn that Richard also volunteered with Samaritans.

In the evenings, he’d take calls from people facing real‑life worries and crises—offering nothing but time, presence, and quiet empathy. It wasn’t a sales tactic. It was who he was.

And it made me realise: people think the best salespeople—or marketers—are the ones with the smartest pitch, the most persuasive copy, or the boldest strategies. But actually? The best ones are often just really good at listening. At making someone feel heard. At stepping into the background so the customer can be the hero.

Richard wasn’t Batman. He was Alfred.

And that mindset—showing up not to shine, but to serve—is something we talk about a lot at Bridge.

Whether it’s customer research, value proposition design, or jobs‑to‑be‑done thinking, the question is the same: how can we become the trusted partner they ‘hire’ to make meaningful progress? How can we be a little more Alfred?

That’s what drives loyalty. That’s what makes the difference.

So this week, maybe ask yourself—what would Alfred do? And how might that change the way you show up for your customers?

Speak soon, 

Peter

P.S. If this story got you thinking about the power of listening, I wrote a piece a while back that dives deeper into why it matters so much: Lean into the silence: the power of listening