Recently, I was trying to ship two amazing Eric Wahl paintings that were created live at the ABA Marketing Conference in Denver. The canvases were HUGE!!! I went to the FedEx Store and asked to buy a box. Their box was custom made to fit the dimensions of my artwork (wish I could actually take credit for them!) and a fragile stamp would be put on the exterior of the boxes. It all sounded great...customized boxes...handled with care...just what I wanted! Then the hammer fell. It would be $20 per sheet and each painting would take anywhere from 3-5 sheets. That's $100 a box! YIKES. I asked about alternatives, here's the response I got:
"There's an art and framing store over off of 120th called Aaron's Framing something-or-other. I send my clients there because you can get boxes for a lot cheaper than you can get them here. I will hold on to your shipping labels for you so that when you bring them back in the boxes from Aaron's, you won't have to fill everything out again."
Imagine my excitement! That was exceptional customer service. Until I showed up at Aaron's Framing place and was told by the store manager that not only do they not have boxes, they don't even keep the boxes frames were shipped to them in. Oh, and they also send all of their clients to the UPS store. UGH!
So, I went to the UPS store holding out little hope of finding a box. And then it happened. The nice woman said that not only do they have the box for me, but they have boxes specifically made for artwork and they will wrap the paintings in plastic (in case it rains where they are delivered) and make sure they arrive in one piece.
It was amazing. And the icing on the cake came when the clerk (Mary) said, "here, take my card, next time you have a shipping challenge like this, just give me a buzz and I can help you out before you drive all over town looking for shipping materials."
From now on, I will drive 2 extra miles through stoplights and traffic to get assistance from Mary. Mary is my shipping expert.
I don't need to spell out how this relates. But to keep you thinking in this marketplace, how many of the big-banks are in your marketplace? Do you think their customer service reps are happy? Do you think they hand out business cards and tell customer to call them next time they have a problem? NO WAY! They can't even guarantee their doors will be opened tomorrow.
This is your opportunity to capitalize on a tremendous opportunity. A guarantee to your customers that you are the expert and you will be there next time they need help. And all you need is a business card and a smile. It doesn't get any better than that!
Be extraordinary today!
Jenna
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