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Originally Posted by
drcollie
In any occupation or business, you have people that excel at their field and as well as many that are fine with mediocrity. That drive to be the best you can be is from the inner personality. The business (or occupation) is a part of your life, not just an income producer. I personally think it shows whom the owner is - and if the business is lacking its evident in the attitude of the associates.
An example that transcends the furniture business: in 2005, when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer my in-network surgeon, a Dr Bronsther, assigned to my case sat across from my wife and I and told me I was terminal with 18 to 24 months to live. His parting words were "there is nothing I can do to help you, you should get your affairs in order and consider hospice when it gets bad." Instead of accepting that death sentence and not having any out-out-pocket costs , I did my own research on my kind of Cancer to determine who was the best in the Country for what I had? Hours and hours of research and I wrangled an appointment with Dr Michael Choti at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He saved my life after an intense surgery in early 2006.. The cost of that surgery was $ 770,000 and who has that kind of money? (I was later able to get all but $ 30,000 of it covered after lots of appeals to my health care provider). But, I signed up and 19 years later am still here. You get what you pay for. One doctor was mediocre, the other was fully Involved and cutting edge in the knowledge and technology of the day. I still talk with Dr Choti today....
Point being, everyone has a choice how to run their career. I'm like Doc Choti, I care and i dig into the details on everything in my business. Some people won't pay the price - and that's fine. They can buy mediocre at a dozen stores within 20 miles of mine. My value structure is such that I prefer to not have unhappy customers whenever possible, so I did the work for them and weeded out the companies and suppliers that send me sub-par product, or would not stand behind what they sell. It's not a unique model at all, Rolex watches, or Porsche automobiles are not affordable for most, but for those that can purchase them they are solid and dependable, and at the top of their industry. You have to decide as a consumer it there is value to you, all I can do as a dealer is explain why it costs more, then you decide if it fits into your budget, or not.
I have heard hundreds of stories from people who reget buying Costco or Ashley or La-Z-Boy, or even those horrid Casper mattresses in a box. But in 37 years of business, I can count on two hands the number of clients that have been dissatisfied with the quality of their purchases from my store. For me, it's always been more than just a business, its my reputation in the community.and pride in what you do.