My family is preparing for a big move. Recently while packing up and preparing to showcase our home, I was reminded of three little words I was taught as a young child that have changed everything for me. The words “and then some…” Let me explain.
We ordered some bulk plastic cutlery from Amazon, and yes, I know it is bad for the environment, but with the possibility of last-minute home tours, I need EASY. As I cut the tape from the box and opened the cardboard flaps, a heavy glossy coated note was sitting on top. It was full color with the words “Thank You” written on top. Impressed with the effort I know it took to design and print these heavy weighted notes (I am knowledgable in the marketing world remember!) I flipped it over to read the note from the company. “Thank you for making this purchase. We are a small business and we appreciate every sale. Customer service and quality products are the first for us, so if your goods were damaged in transit, contact us for a replacement… We hope the product you purchased meets your expectations, we’d love you to share a photo using this product, or maybe post a comment on our Amazon page.”
No doubt you have received thank you notes in packages you’ve ordered before. Sometimes it’s a printed note on the packing slip and sometimes it is a black and white typed note slipped amongst the packing peanuts. Like me, you probably did not give it a microsecond of your attention. This one got my attention though. The company wrote a simple heartfelt message on a nice notecard.
A Nostalgic Lesson
I recalled a lesson my father taught me as a child. “Beth, the difference between average people and extraordinary people is three words…and…then…some. An average student studies for their tests. An extraordinary student studies and then some. An average employee does their job and goes home. An exceptional employee does their job and then some. An average athlete goes to practice. A successful athlete practices and then some.” You get the picture right? It can be applied to any life scenario and rings true.
And Then Some… In Real Life
I have tried to apply the “and then some” principle to everything I have done. Have I always been successful? Absolutely not. Do I feel like I have put every amount of effort in to be successful when I have failed? Yes, I do.
I see the “and then some” attitude at Dogwood. We don’t just strive to get the job completed…a checkmark next to the task…but to do it and then some. Similarly to Brian’s post that the words “just fine” are not good enough, we want to wow you…give it all we’ve got and then some.
Do I recommend printing a pretty thank you note to ship out in every box you send? Probably not…but you can be sure that I left them a good review as requested and will be reordering when the need arises. When we intentionally seek to show gratitude and appreciation to our audience or customers, it matters. When we strive to do our job and then some, they repeat business. At Dogwood we want to show that attitude to you so you, in turn, can show it to your audience.
If you are ready to add our “and then some” attitude to your digital marketing strategy, let’s chat. We would love to help you.
