This will change conventional thinking.

You make a whole bunch of lemonade.

When situations arise, when life throws you a curve, when you don’t get your way . . . it might be time to re-evaluate your goals. Maybe your goal was too low. Maybe it is set in a different direction than you or your business is traveling.

You did have a goal set, didn’t you?

If there are no goals set (presuming you have multiple goals for the multiple facets of your life) then where are you headed and how will you know when you get there?

They come from all around the World to hear about their Adventure.

It’s just a question. No hidden agenda.

But if you don’t love what you do, what are you doing about it?

If you can’t change your latitude, are you doing something about your attitude?

Are you making decisions based on incomplete or erroneous data?

“But that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

And that has gotten you where? Does that mean you are not open to change or a different interpretation on how the game is played?

Maybe these receptacles could have been engineered in a different way to suggest the “landfill” pile should be the smallest, therefore encouraging more recycling.

It . . . could . . . work!

Soon, she'll be 100 years old.

We all want it new.

That new car smell. New sheets out of the package. The crispness of the dust jacket on a new book. (For you e-book types, I’ll explain that one to you someday.)

Great joy can be discovered in taking something old or gently used and using it again. Or just keeping it in good shape when it’s used every day.

The carousel pictured above was built in 1917. I’m pretty sure there are no more technicians alive who worked on the original. Are there even parts available to fix it in the event of a breakdown? Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to build a new one with current parts and technology?

What if that was the attitude everyone took on us as we get older?

You know it's a genuine fake, right?

Build a fake tree. Easy, right?

Florists have been doing it for decades.

But what do you do to combat the effects of the sun? How close do you let people get to it? What are the leaves made of? What are those things all over the trunk?

Don’t just build a tree. Construct a piece that sparks creativity in revising traditional uses for something as ordinary as a tree.

Fast forward to 2012. One group is trying to popularize the vintage style of the old silent films. And they thought it would be neat to use this classic art form, but with a modern twist.

Don’t be in such a rush to invent the next greatest . . . thing. You can still be a creative genius by being smart. You don’t always have to be first.

Enjoy the video below. A Mother’s Day treat for my wife and an innovative use of technology.

Back to the modified original.

So your original plan didn’t turn out to be all that great.

Do you scrap everything at start from scratch? Sometimes it’s better to do that.

Since a lot of energy, time and talent has already been spent, instead of starting from scratch, draw inspiration from what already exists but use it in a different way.

The wheel has already been invented. It’s been improved over and over. At its heart, it’s still round and it still rolls.

Revise, reuse, repurpose.

Not a need but definitely want!

No. I have not changed professions.

Just making sure that everyone understands that they are also in the catering business.

How many of you are thinking about food? Something smothered . . . covered . . . scattered . . . diced . . . dripping with chocolate . . .

That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to how you cater to the wants and needs of your customers. Providing what they want, anticipating what they’ll need before they know it.

That’s a good quality of a successful business.

PS. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in my life. Moms are special!

Greater value? Yes please!

Received an email confirmation of an order I placed online. It came with all the fine print pertaining to the order including a little * located by the only item ordered.

Here’s an explanation for the *:

*In an effort to ensure that your gift arrives on time, we reserve the right to substitute an item of equal or greater value.

WHAT? Equal or greater value? In my industry, the sale or benefit to the customer is usually on an item of equal or lesser value.

This company, Cheryl’s, has quality gifts, sweet treats, and great service.

And now they have a new customer because of their offer.

Safety First

This isn’t an experiment. It’s a thank you to one of my closest friends who happens to be a great encouragement to me and a big supporter here at It’s All About The Customer.

Take it away Brandon.

Hello to each of you out there.

David and I go a long way back to the what is now some of the early days at KSU. He is a great friend of mine and I’m sure will always be.  David has been posting on this blog for several years now and helps us frequently to learn that “It’s All About The Customer“.

In my line of work the student is the primary customer that I serve – although there are certainly many other people around here that I have to answer to. It seems to work well for me that if I give my all to each student to the best of my ability then I have served the customer well for that experience.

Although we would all agree that serving our customer and meeting their needs is critical, I think it is equally important that we keep safety first in the workplace.  Think about your place of business, or your own house for that matter – do you know the fire escape plan? Do you have a fire escape plan? Do you have working flashlights at the ready if the power goes out? Do you have a “what if” plan ready if and when it is needed for such things?  I strive to keep safety first in my daily routines and it has served me very well over the years – I am certain it will do the same for you.

And just in case you are interested you can click to my blog – linked just over there on the right hand side of your screen as “Whats Your Mark?”

Thank you and have a safe day.