Big sigh…...How many times have you had a “this don’t look like the picture” moment? I recently went to McAlister’s Deli and they advertised a new sandwich creation, called the French Onion Chicken sandwich. The name didn’t sound appealing initially, but the ingredients made it interesting. Grilled chicken, au jus, caramelized onions, crispy onions, swiss and parmesan cheese, herb mayo, tomato, and spring mix on toasted ciabatta. Any time ciabatta is the sandwich bread, we have a winner! I ordered it with no au jus and herb mayo on the side. I received my sandwich and as always, I checked my food before leaving. I opened the box and at first glance, the sandwich looked kind of skimpy and I realized something must have been missing. No tomatoes, no spring mix. Uhggg! I politely said to the front counter employee, “this don’t look like the picture”, this sandwich is missing a few ingredients.
After adding the tomatoes and spring mix, I took my to-go order home and took a bite. What a delicious mix! The sandwich was really tasty.
How many times, you as a consumer, saw an advertisement that made you want to purchase a service or product? I’m sure too many to count. That’s what advertisements and commercials are for, right?
Years ago, I ate at a restaurant and I ordered a cheeseburger with all the toppings. My server brought it out and it was missing tomatoes. I asked about the tomatoes, to only be told they were out. Now to some of you that may not be a big deal, but I love tomatoes on my sandwiches. Now here is the kicker, this restaurant was in walking distance of a Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Wow! What an smh moment. I’m sure you’re thinking what I was thinking. This could have gone 2 different ways. First, the server should have told me they were out of tomatoes to give me the option of ordering something else, or secondly, maybe the manager could have walked across the street and purchased a few tomatoes at Sam’s to get by until they got more in. I was disappointed, to say the least.
As an entrepreneur or business owner, how far are you willing to go to provide exceptional service that metamorphically speaking, looks like the picture?
Forgetting to add ingredients can be an oversight and typically not a big deal, but can be rather annoying. But false advertisement or not providing quality service is a whole different thing.
This “don’t look like the picture” is more than just the physical look of a product or service, but a “go beyond the customer’s expectation” so they won’t have to say “this don’t look like the picture”. As an entrepreneur myself, I’ve always had faith in my ability to pull off a project that I may not have had much experience in. Although confident, I still price accordingly to my experience just in case something goes awry. Secondly, my internal motto is to provide quality service that in a sense “looks like the picture”.
Just thinking back, we as women of color see hairstyles that stylists advertise that they can do but when requested and styled, it’s nothing like the picture. To the stylist's defense, I do know that every hair texture or length may not be able to rock that particular hairstyle. But, advertising something that you really can’t deliver is very misleading. Over the years, I’ve tried different stylists based on “the picture”, just for it to NOT look anything close to the picture. Even when questioned, the stylist may say, oh, your hair can’t be styled like that. Whoa!!! Didn’t you know that when I sat in your chair? Of course, you knew, but you’d rather make money by beta testing on me or hope that I’m okay with whatever style you chose that I didn’t ask for.
On the other hand, if a hair type cannot really wear that style, then the stylist should be honest and tell the customer and perhaps recommend something else. This is an example of good customer service and good integrity.
Many entrepreneurs in our city show examples of other’s work (false advertisement) just to get sales, and they know they can’t deliver. Listen, people, we have to stop that! You can be a graphic designer, hairstylist, landscaper, website designer, etc. but if your skills are at a beginner level then price accordingly and for heaven's sakes don’t use other’s work for your benefit.
Here are a few tips to give a “look like the picture” experience. When starting out, use family and friends as beta testers but tell them that and ask for feedback. You are in business to make money, but price accordingly until you can get a quality portfolio of real examples. In the beginning, you may put more time in than a project required or that you quoted. That’s okay, it is part of the learning curve. But don’t let the customer get the short end of the stick. If you have to do it over, then do it over. If you have to use your resources to make it work, do so. A customer will appreciate a late project than a half put together, low-quality project.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, love your city enough to strive for a good reputation as a quality service provider in the Bluff City. Make it count! Make it “look like the picture”!
