Making money can sometimes hurt your business

Poor Walter White.  He learned this lesson a little too late. © Sony Television

I used to work for Apple.  The relationship they have with their customers is more important to them than anything else.  Apple doesn’t stick their hands in your pockets every moment they can, and for good reason.   Apple turns customers into promoters because their customer service make customers feel that Apple appreciates them and their business.

I experienced this one day when I put this philosophy into practice.  A customer came in and told me that he needed to get a new keyboard because the he needed the Page Up, Page Down, Insert, Home and End buttons.  I immediately presented the keyboards and also told him that, if he wanted to save some money, there were keyboard shortcuts he could use that would perform the same functions as those buttons.  A quick Google search showed him the list of all of those shortcuts that would allow him to do all the things those buttons could do, and more!  He looked at me with a smile and said, “Hey, Buddy! You just lost a sale!”  and immediately skirted out of the Apple Store.  

That’s the thing. I didn’t feel like I lost a sale.  I felt like I helped him save money through making an informed decision.  He ended up returning to the store to buy a computer because he trusted that we would provide him the best solutions.  It’s important to present all the possibilities to the customer, whether it benefits the business or not.

Clemens Food Group asked me to provide subtitles in Spanish for their EVP video which we produced for them this past Fall.

They are showing the video during an orientation in which many of the associates speak Spanish.  The video was already uploaded to youTube so I presented him with the estimate for what it would cost to place Spanish subtitles along with the free option shown in a tutorial I made on how to watch YouTube videos with subtitles in different languages.

I know, I know!  I lost an opportunity to make additional revenue but presenting a free solution will benefit my client relationship more than making a quick buck.  In this case, saving my client a little money strengthened his trust in my business ethics and probably also made his boss happy.  Ultimately, it provided another opportunity for me when he contacted me to produce a new video.