The Customer is Always Right

I've had a number of jobs in a wide variety of industries: food service, manufacturing, high-tech, medicine, etc. Something that I quickly realized thanks to my small business owner Dad was that you do whatever it takes to make your customer* happy. Make them feel special. It doesn't matter if you're trying to sell them a hamburger or a very expensive photographic print: make them feel special, make them feel valued.

You would think that's common sense but, as the saying goes, common sense ain't so common anymore.

Common sense says Air Force markings don't go on Navy Tomcats.

You also have to make your customer* comfortable with their decision to choose you. Sometimes they bring you an instrument that needs the full-meal-deal frame-off restoration...in your mind. But they may only be comfortable with the kid's-meal version. Do you push them out of their comfort zone (which they may already be out of) in order for you to do what YOU think is right? Or do you lay out all the options and their associated risks/benefits and let me go with what they "feel" is the right thing to do?

I can't tell you that, each situation is different, a dynamic exchange only you and your client are having. But I've learned to present my clients* with everything from the "change the strings" option to the "tear is all apart and start from there" approach and to be satisfied with their decision. You see if I've done my job right, I've taught them a little about the magic that is a stringed instrument and the care that I will give it no matter the task. People have an emotional bond with their instruments and it isn't a relationship I enter into lightly. Throw into that the likelihood of unknown financial conditions and family dynamics and when they say "Let's do X" instead of your great and grand "X Y Z P D and Q" plan, you're OK with it. You're the skilled craftsman they are utilizing to exercise a decision they have to make.

This boy loved his guitar.

Carry on my friends.


*At the time of this blog post I am NOT operating as a business. The use of the terms "customer" and "client" are used to describe people who bring me instruments to fix as a hobby.