Lessons from Paddleboarding

The water, the oar, the board… waves or calm, it’s peaceful. Good thinking time while exploring the nuances of the lake.

Looking outside with snow dusting the ground, paddleboarding in Lake Michigan is either a distant memory or a long way off. JT and I are an organized people, so we obviously needed a rack to store our paddleboard in our garage. (The board is new to our family this year, a brilliant birthday gift for me from JT. Proves he listens… thoughtful dickens.)

With my disdain for crowds and shopping, I head right to my favorite store: Amazon. We purchase a board rack from COR Board Racks, a small business based in California. The product came on time, was what we expected, a fine transaction. Nothing remarkable, nothing bad.

But then COR Board Racks became remarkable with a simple email, delivered to my in-box the morning after the delivery arrived.

“Thank you again for your order of the COR Ceiling Rack. My name is Andy and I’m one of the owners of COR Board Racks. We noticed that your order for your new rack was delivered recently and I just wanted to make sure that you’re 100% happy with your purchase. If you have any issues, please reply to this message so I can make it right.

We’re a small business and without your feedback and reviews, we can’t exist… we will do whatever it takes to make you happy. I want to personally Thank You for being one of our customers. We LOVE our customers and will always be here if you need us.”

This email arrived the morning after our product arrived – perfect timing.

The words express they care and want happy customers – great message.

The tone was personal – showing they are not just a business, they are people behind it.

The request for feedback respectfully reminds buyers they are a small business and need to

excel.

As a small business owner, it made me start evaluating our transactions. Our services are really good and I have great confidence in them. But with a few communication tweaks, getting in the head of our audience, we can be even more remarkable. My small-business-owner mind is reeling with thoughts of how to enhance the experience of every stakeholder in our worlds.

Because we also love our customers, and always be here if they need us…