Taking a break from the usual post, not that I really have any 'USUAL' post theme going yet, but I'm sure you get the general idea. Deviating from the norm is pretty normal for me. I've been what I like to call 'quirky' my whole life, others just took a sincere notice of it when I turned 13ish. I think that prior to that they just thought I had a lot of spunk. And of course, I got the frequent reminder from my mom, "Don't go ape!" (I know she wanted to say apeshit, but she was old-school, with the decency to refrain from vulgarity. So very UNLIKE me on that one.) I believe that all of these wonderful little trips down crazy-train-lane have helped me to perceive the world just a little bit clearer, perhaps a crisper understanding of the underlying tone, the 'don't quite SAY that you think they screwed you, but glide over it so they get the point', and the 'say what you think you want them to hear, not what you really think' concepts. I catch a lot of my customers in that trap. Don't try to dupe me, cause I'm onto YOU, even if I have not a flippin' clue what in the heck I'M doing most days.
TAG-TEAM: SHIPPING MONSTER & IMPULSIVE EMAILER vs. ME...
Upon receipt of that disrespectful, accusatory email I've been sent, because the USPS or some other talented shipping service, has bashed your package to pieces (and the contents to boot), looking like they've dropped it from the highest building, in every state that they had a layover in, I'm going 'apeshit' berserk. Yet my customers would never ever in a million years suspect that was my reaction to their ugly message. Through my quirky, crazy, bipolar adolescence, which has continued into adulthood, I've learned some extremely important survival tactics. 'KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS!' And boy do I. I put on my 'normal' person hat and sympathetically acknowledge their disappointment, their frustration, their anger and share with them mine. Explain that I would never intentionally send a package to them, improperly or even half-heartedly packed for the simple reason that this is how I MAKE A LIVING. Why in the heck would I want to jeopardize my reputation, particularly in this world of instantaneousness communication and sometimes prompt libel? I calm them and tell them that I will do whatever it takes to be sure that they are provided with a full refund, and make them understand and realize that I DO CARE, I'm not just another shyster, rip-off artist, that is going to take their $20.00 and run away to the Caribbean. Just because the nasty email triggered a complete flip out, the person behind Quirks By Annie, has a heart and will honestly jump through hoops to be sure that even though the disappointment will probably remain, the bad feelings will be a thing of the past. My best, and closest customers are primarily the customers that have been on the receiving end of the smashed 100 year old piece of art glass and the senders of the hate mail, and have realized that in times of trouble I SHINE!!!! (Now if I could only work this magic with my husband and kids. Bless their hearts!)
NEXT...some nice clean Depression Glass info. :)
In the meantime, PLEASE...
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