If
you were to ask 1,000 business owners if they provide extraordinary
service to their customers, the vast majority would likely answer
yes. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of
extraordinary is: Notably unusual or exceptional. So, the definition
would have to exclude a high percentage of businesses from the
conversation, no matter how much they might protest their case.
When
it comes to delivering extraordinary service, just about every
business owner talks about it but few actually deliver. When I think
of companies that consistently deliver outstanding service, one of
the first people that come to my mind is Lynn Lawson, the owner of
Ralph Opfer Floors here in Sacramento. Time after time, I’ve seen
and heard people rave about the great service they got from Lynn, and
I should know because I’m one of them!
A
couple of years ago, I took on a floor installation in a home we had
just purchased and was totally in over my head. My wife and I faced a
very stressful deadline to move into our new home by the end of that
same week, so I called Lynn on a Sunday and she referred an installer
who came out that day and would finish the project on time and on
budget. I don’t think that most business owners would’ve answered
the call, so fortunately for us, Lynn proved to be extraordinary
under pressure.
When
I referred Lynn to my sister Julie last year, Lynn came through again
with flying colors. While I do love my sister to death, I also
realize that she does have a habit of being extraordinarily
indecisive, so much so that she might have given Mahatma Gandhi a
splitting headache! Fortunately, she hired Lynn and not Gandhi to
select and install her floors and after several back and forth
moments of indecision, Julie got the floor of her dreams and Lynn
made a friend for life!
I’ve
had the honor of speaking with several other clients of Lynn’s and
they all have said the same thing: Lynn provides extraordinary
service. She routinely goes above and beyond what most business
owners are willing to offer and uses her extensive knowledge,
experience and desire to find solutions that consistently work. I got
a chance to catch up with Lynn the other day to find out how she was
doing. Here’s what she had to say…
Q:
Your dad started the business and was well known for being the
bargain hunter of flooring. How has your business evolved since
you’ve been in charge the last four years?
A:
Well, it’s evolved
into something different then what my dad had because it had to
evolve a little bit. There are a lot of company’s out there that
are buying large quantities of flooring from China and selling them
for pennies on the dollar and it’s hard to compete with that. It is
not all about the bargain pricing or cash and carry anymore. It is
the quality of service and finding you what you really want at a
decent price.
Q:
Do many of your customers who start out looking primarily for low
price tend to open up a bit and realize that price isn’t the only
thing that’s important in terms of selecting the appropriate floor
for their needs?
A:
Well, price has a lot
to do with it, but when somebody has a price in mind, then what you
have to do is work with them and show them what’s within that price
range. If that doesn’t work, then maybe you have to move onto
something that might be a little out of their price range but it’s
what they want. I always like to stay conscience of a customer's
budget because that is an important thing.
Q:
Have you been able to help your customers by opening them up to other
possibilities within their price range by offering other options that
could either meet or exceed there needs and desires aesthetically?
A:
Yes and no. I think a
lot of people have an idea of what they want or what they think they
want. Some customers come in and have no idea what they want and
that's when I start showing them different things to narrow the
field. A lot of customers come in and think they know what they want.
Some really do and some really don't. It’s usually trial and error.
Typically, I’ll pull samples out and we’ll look at them and then
narrow down the field to figure out what they like and don’t like.
After that, I’ll send them home with samples. Sometimes, one single
trip home works but usually it’s two or three. It’s a pretty big
process and most people don’t understand that it is a process. It’s
not something you decide on right away.
Q:
Right, and that’s not the typical service you are going to find at
your bargain stores, especially the big box stores. Would that be
accurate to say?
A:
Yes that would be
accurate to say. The box stores have limited personnel and I’m sure
that they get minimal training. With that minimal training, they can
only help you so much and then the knowledge just isn’t there.
Q:
Why did you decide to expand your business model beyond home owners
to also include working with property managers, real estate investors
and real estate agents?
A:
Well, one reason is
the challenge. That’s a totally different beast than residential.
It’s a different type of flooring and carpet. Everything works
different in the commercial world. I want to be able to help with
anyone's flooring needs whether you own a house or a commercial
building.
Q:
Why should real estate investors, property managers and real estate
agents select you over other flooring companies?
A:
Well, it’s my
personal guarantee on price and quality of work. I run a small family
owned company. I’m not sending someone I don't trust to do my work
for me. I only send people I know who will do the job I want them to
do. It is the personal attention I give, making sure that the job
gets done right the first time and the quality is top notch. Our
installers have to be dependable.
Q:
Although there’s a lot of pressure in your business, you don’t
resort to high pressure sales tactics. Why is that?
A:
Because I don’t like it when I get high pressured. I don’t like
it when somebody tries to push me into something I don’t want to
buy, so I don’t like to do that to other people. Flooring is
expensive, whether you have a bargain or not. It’s not a purchase
where you can just say, “Okay, I’ll take it”. It’s something
that takes time and you have to trust the person who you’re working
with to know that this big amount of money is being spent properly.
Q:
You don’t have a big fancy showroom full of merchandise. Is that
ever an issue and if so, how do you overcome that?
A:
There are a lot of stores that have really fancy showrooms and
displays. I don’t have that. Eventually I’d like to have a nicer
showroom, but for me it’s not about the building, it’s about who
is in the building. Right now, this is where I’m at and this is
where I’m working. It’s not about the four walls around me and
what they look like. It’s about what’s inside.
Q:
I think ultimately your customers probably don’t really care what
your building looks like; they care about what their new floor looks
like in their house. As long as you are able to give them
extraordinary service by giving what they want within the price range
that they can afford and go the extra mile to find the perfect floor
for them, they’re going to be ecstatic. Wouldn’t you agree?
A:
Yes…absolutely!
Editor’s
notes: For more information about Ralph Opfer Floors, browse their
website at www.ralphopferfloors.com, visit their showroom at 10265
Old Placerville Road #14 in Sacramento or call (916) 366-1672.
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