Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

Some small biz complain about unfair/tough competition from big boys and web sites. However, their worst competition may be their own attitude. And, perhaps I’m hyper-sensitive, but the problem seems to most often occur when I’m dealing with other women. Somehow, because I’m a fellow femme, I’m supposed to settle for slap-dash service, forgive all issues and give a hug.

I love to do business with my fellow independent (and woman-owned) businesses - most of them are great. However, a few of them really make it painful.

Recently, I asked a local printer (that I just used for a client job) to do my new round biz cards, with a hole in the middle. Sent them a sample, got a quote, the designer sent the file, I approved the PDF “proof”…and then I waited…then I called…waited some more…they emailed an invoice (due on receipt), I emailed back asking for status (no response)…I called…I waited…(all for something ordered under their “express” service - but maybe it’s just me. Whenever I get into the express lane at the supermarket, it turns into the “grow old and die while waiting to pay for your milk” lane.)

When I finally saw the sample card - it was terrible. The thing was not only 1/2 inch smaller than original spec, on flimsy paper - it looked as if it’d been cut out by hand (oh, and no hole). Ouch! I asked the production fella to review the whole job and tell me if he could really do it - as I didn’t want to get into a big ol’ snafu. (I like the owners and I know how tough biz is for them, given all the online competition.)

Then the next day - snafu time:

I get a call from the bookkeeper “really needing” payment! I asked to talk to the owner, a woman, who says:

“But Mary, it’s not fair that I already spent this money.”

“I had to buy the paper and ink.” (Well, yeah, you’re in the printing biz - isn’t that a typical expense?)

“Your designer told us 2 inches.” (Come to find out she did. She “was in a hurry” and I wasn’t copied on the email with the file. Oops)

“I’m already eating the cutting cost.” (For what? A pair of scissors?)

“The printing is just fine.” (Here’s where I should mention that the printer initially refused to run a proof for print check of my client’s newsletter, since that would “stop the presses and cost us money.” I finally prevailed when I told ‘em a print check would be cheaper than a second printing if the first wasn’t of acceptable quality. I also had to convince them to give me a firm date for project completion. It wasn’t an easy project for them or me, but I thought we’d gotten past the hard part, since I normally charge for the advice I was giving them. I thought they’d learned. I was wrong.)

*Sigh* All comes down to - if they couldn’t do the custom round card, they should have told me in the first place. Now, they want me to pay them for trying to do it. As I noted to the owner, it’s not my job to make them profitable.

Here’s what she could have said (and created mondo great word-of-mouth and more client referrals):

“Wow, Mary. So sorry, we should have done a better job of following up. We just couldn’t do the round card, and I know how frustrated you must be to have waited so long. How about I print 500 standard for you, say in vertical format so they’ll still stand out a bit? We can have those for you in two days, for $X.” (And, yes, she should be prepared to “eat” costs on jobs that go wrong. Even Kinko’s lets you inspect the product before paying.)

I’ll probably pay something because I feel sorry for them - they really do not grok customer service. (Which explains why I was warned by more than one colleague about the printer. But, hey, I wanted to give them a chance, since I’d also heard they were really trying and struggling.)

Funny - my clients don’t pay me for “trying.” How about your customers/clients?

Related Post: “Oh Man, Am I (Are We) Screwed!”

P.S. I think I’ve found an online source that’s reasonably priced. Sadly, couldn’t find anybody local.

Thought for indie printers: What if you offered “way outside the box” biz card consultation and service? Square. Round. Oblong. Triangles. Unusual paper. Metal. Holes. No Holes. Etc. Be THE biz card supplier in your town. A biz card is a marketing tool, just like a brochure, flyer, or direct mail - and most small biz people spread a lot more cards around than the other stuff.

Read More:
Jeff Sexton, GrokDotCom: The 7 Deadly Claims (Part One) - “Superior Customer Service.” The local printer’s website says, “You will call it fantastic.” Forget fantastic. It’d be a start if rhey returned phone calls and could actually find my job when I did talk to them.
Monk at Work: 5 Reasons Why People Love Your Business
Seth Godin on Making Promises (to customers)

What do you think? Got a snafu (or star) to share? Leave a comment below and feel free to disagree! Debate is healthy. I moderate all comments, though, so it may take a bit for your comment to show up.
Thanks for reading!

Tags: marketing, marketing troubleshooting, entrepreneur sanity check, small business marketing, customer service