“Take all the time you need,” was not what I expected to hear from Santa today.
My wife & I took our daughter, Iris to get her list in to the big guy and we were wowed by the customer service experience. I have been writing a lot about doing great work and today I want to share a great example of a company that seems to ‘get it.’
We went to Schaefers Greenhouse in Aurora, IL to see Santa. Here are a few things we noticed during our visit.
It was clean
This place was nice. The floors were spotless and the displays were orderly. It stood how to us how well this place was maintained.
The ‘work’ was amazing
The work, or in their case, the flowers, were beautiful. I’m not a flower guy, but the flowers, plants and evergreens were first rate. Everything in this place stood head and shoulders above what I’ve seen at other places.
Santa & Mrs. Claus were the real deal
I’ve always imagined that if I spent time with the real Claus’s I would feel special and like I mattered. Schaefer’s knocked it out of the park with this. Mrs. Claus treated us like we were her grandchildren. Santa kept saying “take all the time you need,” as I snapped pictures. Then, Mrs. C. chimes in and says, “that’s right…these are your memories…enjoy this.”
Seriously, that was awesome.
While the line for Santa was growing longer and longer they were slowing the pace down and making sure our experience was great.
They gave all they had to us. Oh…and as we thanked them and began to leave, Santa said…“how about a picture with mom and dad too?”
So, Chris, Iris & me all sat with Santa & Mrs. C. And, the icing on the cake…Mrs. C took the time to move Iris’ hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.
Checking out
We bought a gift for Iris’ teacher and as I checked out, the really nice lady at the counter smiled and taught me how to water the plant. Then, she gave us a calendar and a free Poinsettia.
They gave more than they took.
The Verdict
Everything about our visit there was great. The facility, the products, the people…the overall experience. Schaefer’s worked hard to deliver a great experience…and the result…my wife sums it up best:
“I don’t really need anything but I want to buy something here.”
Go and do the same
That’s my advice to you with your business. Take control and deliver something uncommon. Don’t settle for mediocrity when amazing is within your grasp.
Do that and others will “want to buy something” from you as well.
I recommend that you make this a priority in your business. If you’d like help creating a vision & knowing what to do I would love to help you.
