A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

It was my son Colt's first birthday this past week, and my wife called the big, long established, bakery in the nearby big city.  While she was on the phone, he decided to explore the dishwasher (since it was his birthday, we let him play with the knives)...

Here's a semi-accurate re-creation of the actual phone call:

TERESA:  I'd like a pink champagne cake with blue frosting on the outside.

BAKERY:  We can't do that.  It would have to have pink frosting.

TERESA:  But he's a boy...I want blue frosting.

BAKERY:  Well, we can't do that.

TERESA:  But you've done it before.

BAKERY:  No, we haven't.  We don't do that.

TERESA:  OK, we also want a picture of a little horse on the cake holding some birthday balloons on the cake.

BAKERY:  We don't do that either.  But we can write "Happy Birthday Colt" on the top.

(end transcript)

Ridiculous, right?  I thought so.

Move now to the small, upstart little bakery in the small town next to our small town.  It's staffed by a team of Mexican ladies who love to bake, and love their little bakery.  It's Rosie's Cakes and Cookies in Wasco, California.

When Teresa called them, they said they would do anything we wanted.  And, turns out they were about half the price as the big bakery.

They were fast, courteous, and the cake was much better than other bakery cakes that I've had in the past.  Plus, they give a free small individual cake with the order of a larger party cake so that the little birthday boy or girl can destroy it in peace.

Here's my point: When you're a business who makes the customer play by your rules, you risk losing that customer to a smaller, more nimble competitor who will do whatever the customer wants.

Rosie's Cakes and Cookies has earned our business by giving us what we wanted.

Wow!  What a formula for success!