The Book Of Awesome

Since both Joanna and I write on this blog it may get a little confusing, so to make things clearer.........Mia here!
Yesterday my boyfriend got a book called 'The Book of Awesome'. Its a book that lists all the little awesome things that make life wonderful. I thought that was such a great idea cause I could come up with a long list myself (but I'll leave that for another time). And although I haven't read the book yet I did find the website/blog, check here. The items on the list are funny and so true, one of my faves #503 "Walking into class and seeing a substitute teacher". I still remember the overwhelming feeling of freedom every time that happened, oh to be a kid again.
So the book got me thinking, and I got inspired to share the one thing that has happened to me recently that I think is completely awesome. We've had a good number of our customers come to us and say "I really hope that you guys are doing well, my hope is that you're here for years to come". Or when new customers come in and say "I've heard great things about you from so and so, and couldn't wait to come and check you out". Just to clear the air, we're not going anywhere any time soon. The reason that comments such as these have a great impact on us is they add a very personal aspect to what we do. They show us that our relationship with our customers is very natural, organic and real. And we know we're doing something right since our customers truly care that we're here a year from now.
When I was younger I worked for a few retail chains, and for anyone that held a job in retail you know that there are specific 'selling' steps that every employer asks you to follow when interacting with a customer. You know the ones that have acronyms, and every letter stands for every step to be followed from the way you greet the customer to closing the sale. So essentially you're given a formula to go by, meaning no matter which employee a customer talks to they all have the same thing to say. Now I understand that the selling process has its own purpose in the corporate world, however I was never really good at it....and frankly I was never a top sales person for any of my employers. I now realize that the issue wasn't that I couldn't follow the 5 step program to a sale, but the issue was I wasn't able to be me. When you're able to just be yourself, you're able to relate and interact with people on a very natural level. Trying to remember the next step as you're conversing with a customer is very awkward and doesn't really help the flow of the conversation. And although customer service is important, I completely agree, caring for your customer and believing in what you are offering them has a much greater impact then the cookie-cutter approach of 'Can I help you with anything?'. Which, as I was taught, is the wrong question to ask because it gives the customer the option to say no, and then you've cornered yourself, where do you go from there????? So keep it to open ended questions only:)
This is not a crash course on selling, but how I've learned the importance of being real and being yourself....even in business. I came across a great quote the other day, which said: 'When dealing with a small business, everything is personal'. It's very true, and it includes interactions that we have with everyone that walks into this little establishment of ours.
So our dear customers thank you for adding one more awesome thing to our list.
Lots of love Joanna and Mia.

We'd like to know......what are some of the awesome things in your life?