A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine
told me a story – on the face of it the story has nothing do with business –
but it is a touching story anyway.
I have no idea as to whether the story
is true or if it just an urban legend, but like all good stories, it certainly
carries an important lesson, and it’s a lesson that you should apply to your business
- if you’re smart
Here it is exactly as it was told to me;
"A man and a young teenage boy
checked in to a hotel and were shown to their room.
The two receptionists noted the quiet
manner of the guests, and the pale appearance of the boy.
Later in the evening, the man and boy
ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. The staff again noticed that the two guests
were very quiet, and that the boy seemed disinterested in his food. After
eating, the boy went to his room and the man went to reception and asked to see
the manager.
The receptionist initially asked if
there was a problem with the service or the room, and offered to fix things,
but the man said that there was no problem of that sort, and repeated his
request.
The manager was called and duly
appeared. The man asked to speak privately and was taken into the manager's
office.
The man explained that he was spending
the night in the hotel with his fourteen-year-old son, who was seriously ill,
probably terminally so. The boy was very soon to undergo therapy, which would
cause him to lose his hair. They had come to the hotel to have a break
together, and also because the boy planned to shave his head, that night,
rather than feel that the illness was beating him. The father said that he
would be shaving his own head too, in support of his son.
He asked that staff be respectful when
the two of them came to breakfast with their shaved heads. The manager assured
the father that he would inform all staff and that they would behave
appropriately.
The following morning the father and son
entered the restaurant for breakfast.
There they saw the four male restaurant
staff attending to their duties, perfectly normally, all with shaved
heads."
This story is a great example of going
above and beyond what is expected of you by your clients… And going above and
beyond what is expected of you is the only way you are going to turn a one-time
buyer into a lifelong client and eradicate any and all competition. And
it’s the only way you’re going to be able to command premium prices for what
you do.
Letting your customers know that you
understand them and their needs is essential if you want to be recognised as a
supplier of choice
At Blue Box (and our sister company Blue
Box Recruitment) we understand the importance of understanding what our
customers are saying to us and reacting accordingly
If you would like to see what we do and
how it could help your business, then please contact us in all the usual ways –
telephone 084 3289 3288 or email enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com
Obviously you can contact Blue Box
Recruitment in the same way (and we would be happy to pass the messages across –
but if you want to speak to us directly, our details are – 08456 894 894 and hello@blueboxrecruitment.com
Our website addresses are www.blueboxconsultancy.com and www.blueboxrecruitment.com
We look forward to hearing from you soon
Until the next time, be bold and do good
business