...Because every customer counts, that's why!

Gregg, one of my loyal subscribers, sent this letter to me a while back and I filed it under “future blog ideas”, which I promptly merged with another file, and until recently, had no idea where it was. 

Here is his original letter, the company’s response to him and a little narrative on what it all means, at least to me, by yours truly.

“Hi Fred,

Recently I wanted (actually along with two friends) to purchase a Montblanc Pen for a friend of mine (ours) that was turning 70.

Hard to believe that you can't purchase a Montblanc pen in the greater St. Louis area.

Anyway below is the response I received after I went to their web site and filled out their request for service.

After years of being in sales it is refreshing to receive a response like this one.

Makes you want to buy an expensive pen doesn't it?

Regards,

Gregg

Here is their response.

          Dear Gregg,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing a Montblanc.

We recommend that you call our Customer Service Department at
800-995-4810, from here one of our highly trained customer service
representatives would be honored to assisting you in locating the perfect
Montblanc piece to suit your needs. We can help you select an item, place
your order, provide confirmation and have your order ship directly to you.
they are all very pleasant to work with and will assist you as much as
They can. From here you can learn more about engraving and gift wrapping
services as well.
We also have over 30 boutiques throughout the United States and Canada
where you can visit and they will be happy to ship it directly to you.

Please visit our boutique locator at www.montblanc.com for the location
nearest you. The boutiques offer engraving and gift wrapping services as
well.

     I hope this information is of assistance to you.

Sincerely,Miriam Messer                                                                   MONTBLANC North America                                                                           Customer Service

     Phone: 800 - 995 4810

     Email: Service@Montblanc.Com

     Internet: www.Montblanc.Com                   

Now I don’t know about you, but when a high end retailer goes the extra mile, I almost don’t feel violated for paying substantially more for his product.

However; as a marketer and a producer of content, note their “word- smithing” (which I underlined in the letter) consisting of such phrases as:

·        “highly trained customer service”,

·        “will be honored to work with you”,

·        “assisting”,

·        “providing information”

·        “happy to ship”

Nowhere in their tight little letter does it say: “C’mon in, pick one out and we’ll be happy to sell it to you. Oh yes, free shipping too.”

Now I guess if you were selling a less prestigious brand of wrist watches, you might have that approach and a completely different image.

But when you’re fighting for market share in a smaller, yet more affluent market, you need to take your shots carefully, adroitly and with great precision because every customer counts

So how are you treating your brand?