Got an appetite for quality?

I was talking with my marketing person the other day and asked her for a ballpark figure on a marketing campaign. She looked at me like she always does when I use the term "ballpark" — with a mix of trepidation and humor. The she turned the tables on me and asked, "How much does it cost to go out to dinner?"

"Well, that depends on where you go and what you order," I answered, a bit confused.

"Exactly!" she said, and went on to explain that until you know the quality you want, you can't put a price tag on it. We talked about how this applies to ClearLake Furniture. Each piece of furniture we make is hand-crafted by one of our our master craftsman. The piece gets the attention of a craftsman from start to finish, someone who can see it through, not handed off from one to another, which can jeopardize quality control. There's no assembly line, no shortcuts. We deliver heirloom quality and you can't achieve that with speed. So it costs more and takes longer. Some customers want that "gourmet meal" while others are satisfied with fast food or casual dining.

We know we can't compete with every furniture company out there and, frankly, we don't try. If you want fine hardwoods (without veneers), exceptional craftsmanship, and a lifetime guarantee, then you're looking at a Wolfgang Puck type of dining experience, that remarkable epicurean experience that will remain with you long after you've left the restaurant, because the meal was lovingly prepared by a master chef who used the finest ingredients and then artfully served to excite your visual senses as much as your tastebuds. That's what ClearLake Furniture is all about. 

Of course, there are times when a quick Chinese takeout in a box is good enough. It's a whole lot cheaper, but I guarantee you'll be wanting something more in an hour or two.

Service: The unsung hero

Did you ever go into a store where you felt like you were looked at only as a sale and not a a person? I went into a sandwich shop and ordered a BLT. The young woman who was making the sandwich asked me if I wanted lettuce and tomato with that. I stared at her for a moment, thinking she would realize the oddity of her question. She didn't. I asked her, "Isn't that the 'L' and the 'T' in a 'BLT'? If I say no, do I just get a 'B' sandwich?"

She still didn't get it. She was so used to reciting her pitch that she didn't know how to step outside that speech. I've been in many stores with clueless sales people, listened to many telemarketers read their scripts, and been treated like an anonymous buyer far too many times. In this time when customers can get whatever they want from the Web, we need to differentiate our businesses with personal service. We need to listen better and provide the solutions that our customers need. And we must learn from our own consumer experiences and tell businesses when they are coming up short. If they correct the problem, kudos. That's their job as sellers. They just earned another chance. If not, let them know they failed and that you're moving on. That's your job as a buyer.

I hope that my customers will let me know when they are less than completely satisfied. If you're out there, please email me and let me know! I will try to solve it. I can't correct problems I don't know about.