Loyalty
Hey Friends!
Man can you believe how we are just cruising through February - January was turtle slow and February is Super Sonic fast. February is my busiest month as a Mom- my daughter's birthday is the center of the entire month-
I wanted to touch on a very important topic to me- Loyalty.
By Merriam Dictionary definition - Loyalty is defined as, "giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution." I am a HUGE fan of loyalty. Over my life I have had too many series of "rejections" from people who should never reject you - and rejections from people who you admire and do not understand why they left.
With that childhood and adolescent curse - I have been apprehensive to getting close to people or creating a bond with people. I instantly run and grab my wall and build when I see bonding occurring. I can be friends with someone for years and still be apprehensive about their true intentions- because I have been hurt so much and blind sided- I fail to see the loyalty in that person and waiting on them to walk away.
As I have grown my home business- I have to constantly teach myself about loyalty to my customers is not at all the same as the loyalty to a friend or family member. I build furniture and make home decor to satisfy customer's needs and personalize things to their specifics. When the transaction occurs for some reason I don't foresee them returning wanting more. But that's the whole point of running a good business for that person to return.
I have had to separate my person view on loyalty and bonding from my work and it's not always easy. However, when I do have a customer who has ordered and re-ordered from me I feel humble and honored. I sit at times and think, "In this person's home is MY work, when someone compliments their decor or furniture they are going to say, "Oh this was handmade by TMHPersonals, she's great..."
You want that feeling- that your work is in the homes of friends, family members and shipped worldwide. You also should reward those who are loyal to you, I strongly believe if I have a loyal customer I need to ensure to take care of them and go beyond for them. I have a loyal customer who comes to mind, Miki Rousseau - she and I used to work together when my decor business was still in the simple stages.
It was after we stopped working together that she reached out for her first decor item. She requested a three tier decorative cross to be made with the Silver ribbon representing Parkinson's Disease. I remember we went back and forth about style, colors and more. I loved getting the photo back of Shirley (Mik's Grandma) with the cross in hand smiling. It was exactly what they wanted, and it wasn't long after that Miki reached out again for another decor sign and another. I even contacted Miki seeking to know if she wanted a sign I messed up on and sold it to her for a discounted price and without hesitation she said YES!
Miki is getting married this year and she reached out with specific sign requests for her wedding and one to honor her soon to be husbands late father. I was honored of course by her loyalty to me and I extended the second sign to Miki for free. Why for free, why would I do such a thing? Because Miki is loyal- she deserves to be given back to as she has given to me and my business.
I love the loyalty from customer's like these and I have many other returning customers- but I truly desire to have the same loyalty in friendships and relationships.
Who do you believe you seek loyalty from? How loyal are you to a business or company? What does loyalty mean to you?