The Importance of Paying Attention to the Small Details
As if it wasn’t challenging enough to run your own business, now you have something else to consider. Let’s be clear, paying attention to the small details is not an easy task and the rewards may not be obvious, but these are things that you should learn to do.
“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
Mahatma Ghandi
This is a quick lesson on why the practice might be beneficial to your business. There is a client I had that I used to meet up with every 6 to 8 weeks to follow up on progress. We always met at a particular cafe which wasn’t exactly close to their business premises but they insisted that we meet there each time.
Now I had no problem at all with meeting there, as it was actually easier for me as it was close to a station, but there were other cafes closer to their business premises. The food was good and the service very friendly but I couldn’t see what was so special about it that they would insist on meeting there.
Finally one day after dealing with business, we started having a casual chat and I decided to ask why they showed such loyalty to this cafe. The answer taught me a lesson in paying attention to the small details.
They basically mentioned that they had a mild OCD. Nothing so severe that others would notice, but they were just more aware of certain things being in order. One day they were having a chat with the owner of the cafe and happened to mention, in a joking manner, that they noticed that sometimes the toilet paper was rolled over and sometimes it was rolled under. The client happened to be particular about the toilet paper being rolled under and said it was driving them crazy. The owner laughed at the comment and took it with the light humour it was meant.
The client really didn’t expect anything to happen due to this passing comment but they noticed that following that conversation, all the toilet paper rolls were set to roll under. After a few visits of noticing this, they decided to ask the owner if it was just a coincidence that this was happening. The owner admitted that following the conversation, she asked the cleaners to always make sure that toilet paper was rolled under. It wasn’t a big deal for the owner but it meant the world to my client. That was the beginning of their loyalty to this cafe.
As a result of paying attention to such a small detail, not only did the cafe owner gain a loyal customer in my client, but they also gained one in me as well. I was so impressed with that gesture that if ever I have to meet clients in that area, I would always go to that cafe.
Is there an opportunity that you’re missing by over looking the smaller aspects of your business?