A Great Lesson from a Cheese Shop

The shop is called "As Good as it Gets" and it's here in Sarasota. It's essentially a boutique cheese shop also carrying great olive oils, a white balsamic vinegar to die for, classic meats like prosciutto and a Parmesan encrusted salami, caviar, teas and that's enough to give you the picture.

In the back of the store they have a small counter where Doug Gurley, the owner, works his magic. There's nothing he doesn't know about cheese and his business, but what he's best at is creating a level of trust with every customer. "Trust" might seem like a word that's a little too big for buying cheese, but this is about the fun of taking your taste buds on an adventure.

Here's how it ties into photography and your business...

Kirk Voclain once told me the key to building a strong business for photographing high school seniors is about making the event of getting their portrait done fun. "Fun" - it's one of those words becoming more and more extinct in business today, but it's a necessity. It might even be your secret weapon in building more strength into your brand.

"Trust" is the other word that's critical to a strong foundation for your business. Your clients have to trust you to understand what it is they want. You have to be able to see the world through their eyes.

So, we're back to my favorite cheese shop. A trip to the cheese shop isn't just a drive-by to pick up a pound of Swiss. It's an event for us. Like any good place to shop, we know the experience and the quality of the products are never going to fail. It's simply fun! Doug lives to exceed customer expectations and there's the other link to your client.

Exceed expectations with a quality level that leaves your clients speechless and in turn, like As Good As It Gets, you'll find yourself becoming habit-forming!

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Photo Credit: Doug Gurley taken by Bob Coates with Pansonic's LUMIX GX7