Sooner or later it happens if you decorate enough Christmas trees over a long enough time. At some point you discover that almost all of the ornaments are handmade or have some special meaning. Discarded are those store bought ones that looked pleasing to the eye but had no short cut to the heart. The special ones all have stories attached; the store bought ones just have hooks.
Service has a similar transformation. We start out settling for what looks good, what’s convenient, or what is the least expensive way to get the job done. But, sooner or later we want handmade service—personalized to our specs—with a story we can share with others. The glitz might not be there but the value surely is. How can you make your customers’ experience as special as the well-worn Christmas ornament that Sarah made for you?
