Sweat The Small Stuff

Sure.  When it comes to the big picture, life and how to live it, I agree ... "Don't sweat the small stuff.  It's ALL small stuff."

But when it comes to running your business or taking care of your clients, you MUST sweat the small stuff if you want to set yourself apart from the competition.

Let me explain...

I drive a lot.  So, I have to get my oil changed regularly.  Since I'm on the road a lot, my car is my office.  I can't afford to have it sitting in the shop all day.  Same goes for when I need an inspection or new tires.  And, I won't go to a 15 minute quick-change type of facility.

The place that I take my car for service keeps my business because of their customer service.  They really go above and beyond.  If I ask to have my car done by 11am, they call me at 10:30am to say that it's done.  If I set an appointment to wait on the car while the oil is changed, it's done within a 1/2 hour or so.  If they encounter something outside the norm that needs to be done with my car, they call and explain it and tell me how much it will cost.  They ALWAYS put the oil change and tire rotation reminder sticker in my window.  It's a computer generated sticker - easy to read.  And their phone number is on it too.  So, when I notice that I need another oil change, the number is right there for me to call from my cell phone.  Of course, I make that call when I'm parked in a parking lot and not from the road.  :-)

Today, I had to take my car in for an oil change and I was going to wait on it as opposed to dropping it off.  I handed my key over and went to sit in the waiting area.  In their waiting area (which is very clean, by the way), they have a counter with a sink and a coffee maker.  A cup of coffee sounded good right about then!

They have a small tray with hot cocoa packets, sweetener, sugar, creamer and stirrers.  Everything is neatly arranged.  The counter is clean.  I put my coffee cup under the spout and pushed the lever to get my coffee.  There was some coffee on the bottom that must have dripped and it got on the bottom of my cup.  So, when I put the cup on the counter, I left a coffee ring on the counter.  I quickly looked to my right and spotted a paper towel dispenser.  I grabbed one, wiped up my mess and threw the paper towel away in the waste can under the counter.

Soon after finishing my coffee, I was informed that my car was done.  It was parked right outside the door.  They gave me my key.  I paid the bill and was on my way feeling great about my experience.  As I drove away, I looked up in the left hand corner of my windshield and there was my reminder sticker - inviting me to come back when my odometer hit the next number.

It got me thinking about small stuff.

What if there were coffee stains and sugar all over the counter?  Would I have even bothered to wipe up the coffee the I got on the counter?  What if the waiting area was loud?  What if it was filthy?  What if I waited there for 45 minutes and nobody ever came out to tell me that my car was done?  What if I got in my car and the reminder sticker wasn't there?  Would I feel good about going back there?  You know the answers to all these questions.

Now, think about what you do as a business person.  What "small stuff" do you do to set yourself apart from your competition.  If you're an outside sales rep, do you send thank you letters to new customers?  Do you remember if a client's spouse had surgery and remember to ask how they're doing the next time you see them?  Do you show up when you're supposed to?  Do you handle the things that your client asks you to handle?

If you own a business, do you recognize regular customers or is everyone just a number to you?  What "small stuff" do you do to make the customer's experience a more pleasurable one?  Do you do what you say?  Under-Promise and Over-Deliver?

In business, you must sweat the small stuff.  Because in the world of sales, it's the small stuff that makes ALL the difference.